Variance of Luck
by Cairis Rin
Summary: COMPLETE! At last! :D someone unexpected shows up from Jack's past that starts a chain of events that can only go from bad to worse. Guest stars MacGyver
1. A new face, or is it?

Author's notes: I'm putting this here rather than the crossover section because only Mac is actually showing up from the MacGyver series. I also know a bunch of MacGyver/SG1 crossovers have been written and I know I've rather enjoyed them all. It's just too tempting to not write my own. Now, I've labeled this a WIP because it's not finished, but I do have a few chapters ready for editing, so I'm going to put up one a week and see if I can keep up with that schedule. Maybe with the holidays here I'll get some good time in. :) 

Author's notes2: I edited out my spelling mistake, thanks Elvaralind! Sad to admit, I tend to swing towards malapropism in my writing. :\ 

Anyway, enjoy. And if you notice some 'odd' things in this story, it'll all make sense later on, trust me. ;) Oh, and this is placed about fifth season of SG1 and long after the last season of MacGyver.

-----

"I'm sorry, but could you explain that again?"

"Geez! For a scientist you sure don't understand anything!" Colonel Jack O'Neill complained taking a swallow from his beer and setting it back on the side table in his living room. 

Dr. Daniel Jackson's face scrunched up as he retorted. "What science is there in men with sticks whacking a puck around?"

"Cute men with sticks," Major Samantha Carter murmured with a grin on her face and a mischievous glint to her eyes that were quite solidly fixated on the television screen. The rest of the occupants turned to stare at her with open surprise.

"Right," Jack murmured. "That was definitely more than I needed to hear." Carter just shrugged, still grinning, but with a glance in his direction Jack knew she was teasing him now. 

"Why do the warriors battle each other when the 'puck' is elsewhere?" Teal'c suddenly asked. They turned to see that the game had paused while two hockey players attempted to rustle the shirts off each other's backs.

O'Neill shrugged, "That's just part of the game."

"I see."

Grins spread across the rest of SG1's faces, but the jaffa seemed intent on ignoring them. Jack sighed and leaned back feeling somewhat content with the world. It was nice to spend time with his team in a non-official manner. They didn't do it nearly enough, but they saw each other so often now, to Jack, they'd practically become his family. Already they'd spent the evening together, watching videos, eating pizza, just chatting, and currently watching a hockey game as the night wound down. Life just couldn't get any better. 

A soft rapping at the door interrupted his growing serenity. Feeling somewhat cheated Jack grumbled, "Now what?" And got up to see just who would be at his door at this time of night. Like an echo of his thoughts Carter curiously questioned, "Who would be here so late?"

Allowing some of his better fantasies to pass through his mind of what he'd do if it were an airman here to declare an emergency Jack gave himself a minute before actually opening the door. "Yes?" But who he found on his door step wasn't anyone he might have possibly expected.

The man on Jack O'Neill's porch was dressed in tight jeans and a baggy black hooded sweatshirt and hopped from foot to foot keeping his hands tucked under his arms for warmth. The guy was obviously frozen, and in need of help but Jack was too shocked to say anything and in the next moment a face completely identical to his own smirked up at him. "Hey Jack."

For one long second Jack didn't know what to say, they with a fury of alarm stepped out onto the porch closing the door tightly behind him. Whispering harshly Jack demanded, "What your _doing_ here?!"

Brown eyes glistening with humor, the man easily quipped, "Nice to see you, too."

Jack frowned, giving the man who could have been his identical twin a quick look over realizing instantly that something was more than normally wrong. Blue colored the guy's lips and for all the man was practically dancing on the spot to keep warm, it was obvious he'd long since run out of the energy to do so.

With a grimace, Jack met those brown eyes that could have belonged to him and stated stubbornly, "No, it's not. Why didn't you call? And for crying out loud pull up your hood before someone sees you, I have company!"

The other man looked startled but was quick to comply. "I'm sorry Jack, I didn't have time to take the normal route or I would have. I'm in trouble, I need your help."

"Someone doesn't know, do they?" Jack asked with concern and even a bit of fear that was normally unprecedented for the famous Colonel Jack O'Neill. 

Once again the man smirked but responding with full seriousness said, "No, but I didn't have anywhere else to turn."

Jack just nodded, then looking back at the illuminated window thought for a moment. He saw the curtain twitch and hoped that no one had seen who his front porch guest was. In any case Jack figured he'd find out in a minute. "Go around back, I'll let you in in a few."

The man just nodded and jogged off around the house, white sneakers standing out amongst the shadows till they disappeared around the corner. Worried O'Neill scanned the quiet street looking for any signs of trouble, but it was as silent as it should have been. Only somewhat satisfied, Jack stepped back inside, entering the welcomed warmth of his house. They really didn't get enough time off. 

The rest of his team was still sitting on the couches and looked up at him expectantly, but none of them burst out with any exclamations about O'Neill's double, which meant they most likely hadn't seen who he'd been talking to. Somehow Jack didn't think they'd be able to stay quiet if they had realized the man on his porch looked just like their CO. 

"Sir?" Carter asked, breaking the silence.

"If it's alright with you guys, I'd like to call it a night?" Jack half-asked, half-stated. 

The members of SG-1 stood up of course, but they seemed reluctant to leave. "You know, if there's anything we can-" Daniel hesitantly began. 

Raising a hand to stop him, Jack smiled at them all. "Everything's fine. I just got some news I'd rather not and I need time to digest it," he told them, keeping it to the half-truths he was best at. Seeing them open their mouths to offer help again, Jack quickly added, if a bit more forcefully than he'd intended, "Alone."

They all nodded, with slightly grave looks on Daniel and Sam's faces as they grabbed their jackets. "Sir," Carter began again as he opened the door for them.

Jack just smiled back. "I'll be fine Carter."

She nodded and stepped outside, Daniel right behind her. Teal'c followed as well, but not before stopping at the door, pulling on his hat to cover his tattoo, and saying in a matter of fact tone of voice, "Some challenges a man must meet on his own, and others he must not."

Jack grinned, and then gripped Teal'c's shoulder in appreciation. "Thanks buddy."

Teal'c minutely nodded and stepped outside. With a sigh, Jack closed the door behind them. He hated lying to them like that, but like Teal'c had said, some things a man had to do on his own, or almost on his own. With a grim expression he walked through his kitchen to the back door and opening it let his new guest in.

"Thanks." The guy said, stepping into the warmth and pulling the hood off before tucking his hands back under his arms. 

Jack just nodded, closing the door and motioning to the table. "Want something to drink?"

"Anything hot." 

The man waited in silence as Jack put some water on the stove and pulled out a couple tea packets from the cupboard. It wasn't his usual thing, but Jack had found tea handy to have around especially during those times the doctor had SG-1's injured banned from coffee. He waited until he was able to place the warm mugs down on the table before sitting and finally demanding, "Alight MacGyver, what's going on?"

MacGyver, O'Neill's _exact_ look alike, with perhaps a few less worry lines around the eyes, gripped the mug and took a sip with a look of intense pleasure. Jack had to wonder just how long the man had been stuck outside. "I stumbled across something."

"Where?" Jack asked, almost dredging the answer.

MacGyver took another sip. "Oregon."

Jack took an unconscious breath. If the man had said Egypt he would have had to kill him, if just out of spite!

"Several months ago a contractor digging for some resort several miles outside of Portland discovered what could very well be the discovery of the century." MacGyver began. Jack almost laughed; he'd heard those words more times than he could count in the last few years. Mac didn't seen to notice Jack's momentary smile and continued, "A talented Archeologist by the name of James Steel headed up the excavation but was killed shortly after, in an accident." He said the last part with a touch of sarcasm. 

Jack regarded the man across from him. The man who looked so much like himself. Then the Colonel simply stated, "You don't think so." 

MacGyver leaned back with a resigned sigh. He still gripped the mug in one hand, but he wasn't shaking anymore and the color was quickly returning to his face. "No," He told Jack. "I convinced Pete to let the Phoenix Foundation buy out the land, recompense the contractors and take over the dig." Jack nodded, sounded like Mac. Then Mac shook his head. "I thought at first maybe it'd been the previous land owner wanting to speed things up, but not anymore. I don't know who these guys are."

"What guys?" Jack asked sharply. 

"A few days ago they grabbed me from the site. Wanted information, but I'd swear they knew more about the dig than I did."

"Just how the hell did you end up here, in Colorado?" 

Mac laughed, "Actually, this just happened to be where they brought me. Some old warehouse in the middle of town. I broke out yesterday morning and the second I realized where I was I headed here."

"Walking no doubt," Jack grumbled. He didn't like any bit of what he'd heard and was torn between throwing this man out and helping him. He already knew it'd be the latter; there was too much instinct there to simply ignore. O'Neill stood up pushing his untouched mug towards Mac and took the empty one around the counter to the sink. "Just how exactly did you _find_ my place? I've moved since you last visited."

MacGyver laughed, relaxing even further into the chair as he half drained the second mug. Grinning slyly he replied, "Come on Jack, you know the answer to that as well as I do."

Frowning with discouragement, Jack murmured, "Be grateful I wasn't at work." Then he added louder, "Speaking of which, I can't skip work, in fact I'll be gone for the next couple of days so I don't know how much help I can actually be."

MacGyver shrugged, but Jack still caught the keen look of disappointment in the man's eyes. "I just need a place to lay low till I can figure out what to do."

"What about-"

Mac cut him off, "I don't want to get them involved, too much danger."

"Gee, thanks for the consideration," Jack griped, but then sighed and even smiled at the man. "Alright, you can stay." Mac grinned back and Jack added with mock admonition. "Just don't blow up my house while I'm gone!"

The man held up his hand with two fingers pointing skyward. "Scouts honor."

"Like you were ever a scout," Jack retorted with good humor. Why this? Why now? He couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen, that in the end they'd end up risking the truth. But equal were his feelings of protection. And that they should be, Jack realized, Mac was, after all, blood…sort of. 

***** 

That feeling of unease had only grown over the course of the night but Jack hadn't found any signs that Mac might have been followed, or that 'these people' might know where he was. No, the morning looked every bit as normal as the previous one. 

He still didn't like leaving Mac alone, especially since his team was due to embark on a mission today and even if everything went smoothly, which it rarely did, they wouldn't be due back till tomorrow at the earliest. Sometimes Jack wished he could just call in sick without the full physical required to prove it. Maybe he could convince Janet to forge it for him, or he could try playing on the excuse he used last night…right before a mission? Not without explanations. 

Jack sighed and dumping his half eaten breakfast in the trash reached into the fridge for a beer instead. 

"I doubt that's normally allowed before work." Jack didn't turn around until he had the cap off. It was like hearing his own voice in his head…not too far from the truth really. 

"I don't need another conscience, thanks!" Jack stated, determinedly taking a swallow as if to prove his point. Mac had just entered, dressed now in some of Jack's clothes and looking far more rested then the day before. If a person walked in right then and saw them together like this, chances were real good they wouldn't be able to tell the one from the other.

MacGyver grinned and leaning against the counter, questioned, "Still getting the affects?"

"According to my physician, I'm a 'fast healer.'" But Jack put the bottle down with a bit of disgust. "The stuff barely effects me now. By the time I get to work there won't even be a trace of alcohol in my system. And what about you? What's with the hair? Why'd you cut it?" Jack demanded, and then added with a somewhat envious smile, "I liked it long." 

Mac automatically ran a hand through the short grays, a self-conscious look covering his face. "Ya, that. It looked good long when it had color, but now that it's gray…" he left the explanation hanging, then laughed, a soft, good natured laugh. "Things have changed. I would never have expected you to have _company_ over."

"Ya, ya," Jack grumbled but smiled. "They're my team." He explained, and then asked softly. "How's your son, Sam?"

"He's good. He's safe. Off in England right now actually. Taking a break on his journalism to get a Masters. Quantum physics. He's decided to move his journalism into the science field and wanted to have a bit more than pen and paper to help him along the way."

Startled, Jack automatically asked, "Does he know?"

But Mac shook his head. "Thinks he's just like his dad." With a look between them they left it at that. 

"I've got to get going," Jack said heading for the door. "Under no circumstances do you open the door or answer the phone. And leave the lights off, as far as anyone is concerned, no one is here, got it?"

MacGyver nodded and grinned, "I got it Jack. This isn't the first time, you know."

Jack just gave him a look, and then shaking a finger in the man's face stated adamantly, "I mean it, no blowing up my house!"

Smirking, Mac gave Jack a push. "Go, before you're late." 

Grumbling under his breath Jack finally left, but when he looked back he couldn't help but wonder if he'd be buying yet another home this year. 

The bad feeling was still sitting hard in his stomach once he got on the road, enough that he decided it was worth the detour to the gas station before work this morning. He should have known better than to follow his feelings at this point. 

Tossing the pink stuff onto the passenger seat, Jack was so distracted by visions of his house in flame and ruin that he didn't even realize he wasn't alone in his truck until he felt the unmistakable pressure of the barrel of a gun being jabbed into his side. 

Sighing with resignation Jack left his hands resting on the wheel. The second he saw Mac on his front porch he knew things were bound to get bad. A hard and gravely voice growled out from the cramped spot behind the front seat, "Thought you'd get away from here did you MacGyver? I didn't think you were into stealing, I underestimated you."

"You'd be surprised," Jack murmured feeling more than a little disgruntled. 

"Close the door MacGyver, we're going on a trip."

Jack silently chastised himself and internally grumbled, I _hate_ it when my feelings are right!

***** 

Sam watched as Daniel silently fidgeted in place. All of SG-1 was waiting in General Hammond's office. Colonel O'Neill hadn't shown up this morning and was now at least three hours late. They'd tried calling his home, his cell, the pager, even the hospitals on the off chance he'd been in an accident. In their line of duty, it was just as likely he'd been kidnapped, although she couldn't think of anything suspicious…except last night.

They'd told the General how Jack had gotten 'news' of something that seemed to greatly bother him. Sam personally wondered about that, she's been the one who'd peaked out the window and saw what looked like some hooded jogger talking to the Colonel. They obviously knew each other but the whole occurrence just seemed odd to her. All they were waiting for now was permission to go searching the manual way. There just wasn't anything else to go on.

It was yet another ten minutes before the General returned, enough time for SG-1 to have already worked out and refined their hunt and search pattern at least three times over. Settled on a plan of action, Sam and Teal'c were going to try Jack's house first while Daniel checked out some of Jack's more common stomping grounds. They were bound to find _something_.

***** 

MacGyver lay crashed out on the couch. He'd drawn all the curtains closed to be sure he wouldn't be seen, and dutifully ignored the constant ringing of the phone through the morning but it was a testament to how tired he really was when he fell dead asleep. He hadn't meant to, it just sort of happened. The last few days had been extremely long, and last night had been one of his first times in a proper bed again. 

He'd even taken a peak in the mirror this morning and had been pleased to find that all the bruises that had spotted his skin not two days before had all but faded from sight, a couple more hours and they'd be gone altogether. He just needed some sleep.

Mac knew he should be thinking about what to do next, but there really wasn't much he _could_ do yet. He needed Jack's help, and _only_ Jack's help. Of coarse, he hadn't told Jack anything about that yet, and personally didn't look forward to that particular conversation, but in the mean time he still had to wait till Jack returned. He'd said a couple days, but obviously didn't know for sure. And as Mac dropped off to sleep he idly wondered just what kind of work Jack did for the Air Force these days. 

***** 

Daniel pulled open the door of the gas station. It was the first place that had come to mind knowing Jack didn't normally make any stops before work. He'd just approached the counter, smiling at the young woman who practically beamed back at him as his cell phone began to vibrate. 

Pulling it out, he smiled apologetically to the cashier and stepped back outside. The woman sighed with some small resignation but obligingly turned to her next customer. Outside, Daniel flipped the phone open. "Yes?"

"It's Sam. We found him, he's asleep on his couch."

"Asleep?" Daniel asked surprised. "That's not like him."

"I know," Sam replied, worry in her voice. "I guess we all have our bad days. We're waking him now. I'm sure everything's fine so I'll see you back at the base. If it's not I'll give you another call."

"All right." Daniel clicked the phone shut, looking idly about and then briefly back at the cashier before walking back to his own vehicle. There was no point in asking if they'd seen Jack now.


	2. You have a go

Author's Note: I have to say, I'm amazed at the response this story has gotten so far. o.o Thank you for so many wonderful reviews! I did get some good writing time in already this week, so here's another chapter, I hope I don't end up disappointing anyone and I certainly do intend to finish this story. *dons fireproof coat, boots, and headgear just in case* Oh, and thanks to the woman who shared her SG1/MacGyver experience with us. ;) 

Author's Note2: With the whole, um, situation with Jack and Mac, well…it'll be a while before everything is fully explained, but there _is_ a reason for everything. And thanks a bunch to my friend Laurel who helped me figure it all out. :D Oh, and every scene is from only one person's prospective so depending on the perspective depends on how the characters are referred. Having reread it a few times over now I think it should be clear who's who, but if not, let me know. :) 

Author's Note3: DXS is the Department of External Services. They're a lot like the CIA and they were MacGyver's employer for the first season of the show. After that he went to work for the Phoenix Foundation. 

Author's Note4: Thanks be to 'I love MacGyver!!!!' for finding my technical error. 'Embarkment' is now 'Embarkation.' And while I know it's more commonly referred to as the Gate Room, it isn't always so I'm going to use that to my advantage. Therefore for the sake of _that_ part of the story I'm going to leave it as the Embarkation Room. And if we only find one error per chapter I'm going to feel really good about myself. Usually there's at least five! ;) 

And because I forgot in the first chapter…Disclaimer: I write fanfic for fun and social enjoyment. Any characters created and/or used within this story are there for the pleasure of me and my readers and nothing else. MacGyver and Stargate: SG1 are shows owned by someone else…la la la…etc. etc. etc. :P 

------ 

It was with muffled senses that MacGyver first heard the noises that pulled him sluggishly away from his dream. "What is it?" 

"O'Neill, it is time for you to wake." 

"Sir? Sir, are you alright?" 

O'Neill? Suddenly Mac came completely and utterly awake, jerking upright and startling the two strangers leaning over him. A woman with short blond hair and a tall muscular black skinned man exchanged looks before turning back to him, the woman with concern etched into her eyes. "Sir, Have you been here the whole time? Why didn't you answer your phone?" 

Sir? Phone? "I didn't hear it," He replied slowly. "What time is it?" 

"It is almost noon," The big man replied, and then suddenly smiled, or at least Mac thought it was a smile. "It is good to see you are safe O'Neill." 

"_Are_ you okay?" the woman asked insistently. 

"Ya, ya I'm fine," Mac quickly replied sitting up further. Truth be told, he didn't feel fine at all. How the hell am I supposed to get out of this one? He silently demanded of himself. And what happened to Jack anyway? MacGyver quickly weighed the options. He could tell them he wasn't Jack, and get them into far more trouble than imaginable. No, he and Jack had agreed the secret was worth dying over. Was it? Was it really? If the guys who took Jack were the same ones who took him before, Mac didn't think they would kill Jack. That was some comfort at least. So what now? Take Jack's place and hope his friend could get out of his situation on his own? Which he probably would, Mac realized. Then MacGyver looked again at the two strangers waiting for him. 

How hard could it be to pretend to be an Air Force Colonel for a day or two anyway? He'd been a DXS Agent, it couldn't be all so…different…could it? Silently MacGyver wished he could just disappear into the depths of the couch the way pocket change had the tendency to do. 

***** 

Sam exchanged a worried look across the table with Daniel for the third time in the last thirty minutes but after a moment returned her gaze to her commanding officer. Jack wasn't acting like himself, that much was obvious. He told them repeatedly that he was fine, just tired. Hammond had insisted on a quick physical, which the Colonel had readily agreed to, one of the first indications that he wasn't feeling himself. O'Neill _hated _getting physicals and always found a way out of it if he could. 

But Janet had pronounced him perfectly fine and with the Colonel's assurance that nothing was wrong the General had ordered a go-ahead on the mission. It wasn't more than a small exploration of ruins anyway; the MALP hadn't found any traces of anyone living on the planet they were destined for. 

Sam wondered if maybe the Colonel was worn out, that whatever the news was last night had affected him more then he was admitting to. She was seriously considering talking to the General after the briefing and privately suggesting to him that the Colonel might need more time off, but now she wasn't so sure even that would help. 

Very unlike O'Neill, Jack was adamantly paying attention to what was being said. And he kept looking around the table and moving his lips as if he were memorizing something. To her greater surprise, Jack even opened the briefing report and for all intent and purposes looked like he was actually_ reading _it instead of just skimming like he usually did. 

There was something else that bothered her even more than the Colonel's newly tentative behavior. He was sitting slouched in his chair, looking completely relaxed to the untrained observer, but there was a minute edge to his movements, and a slight nervousness in his eyes she'd never seen before. 

"Alright SG-1 you have a go." General Hammond concluded. "You disembark in thirty minutes." 

"Right," Jack replied, and then quickly added, "sir." But even the way he said that sounded off to Sam. Maybe she really _should_ talk to the General about the Colonel getting some more time off after this mission. 

***** 

MacGyver followed closely behind Teal'c as they entered the oddest room he'd seen yet. He'd winged things before, sometimes on a constant basis, but even this was almost too much for him. Following Teal'c and Jackson around he'd mostly been able to guess at what he was supposed to do, and was a bit surprised to find himself now decked out in combat gear, and housing at least one long knife, four grenades, a couple blocks of C-4, and no less than three guns on his personage. It had taken all of his will power not to fidget while dressing. It wasn't as if he didn't know how to _use_ guns, he knew more about guns than most expected but that didn't mean he_ liked _them. 

Where on Earth were they going that they needed this much firepower anyway? For that mater, Mac still hadn't figured out where they were going at all. The briefing report had talked about a site with abandoned structures and ruins, even gave the place a designation number, but never actually said where it was. On top of that, it had talked quite a fair bit about rocks and minerals, one of which he'd never heard of before and Mac was sure he knew most, if not all of them, but Naquadah was something completely foreign to his vocabulary. 

Following his 'teammates' to the embarkation room, as they kept calling it, Mac kept expecting them to head upstairs. Honestly, a mountain seemed like a silly spot for a base if they were always heading someplace else. Maybe it was somewhere in Africa, Sudan, or some other place with ruins. But instead of going up, they only went further down into the depths of the mountain to a room with a large metal ring stationed at the far end. 

It was as he was taking his first steps inside the renovated silo that something huge, wet looking, and _blue_ shot out of the ring only to snap back in reverse as if being sucked back by some sort of back draft to leave a horizontal pool of blue water shimmering within the odd metal structure. 

MacGyver nearly jumped right out of his skin and only barely caught himself in time to _not_ cry out in exclamation. As it was, it was a struggle to convince himself to relax enough to smooth his features back to normal. Whatever this was none of it would be new to Jack, he just had to keep remembering that. Ya, sure Mac, he thought sarcastically then wondered what crazy thing would happen next. 

Looking behind him MacGyver could see a room looking out over this one. Standing there the General leaned down to talk into a mike, "SG-1, you have a go." 

"Ready to go, sir?" Carter asked at his side. 

Go? Everyone kept saying that. _Go where?_ But MacGyver refrained from asking the obvious and said instead. "Sure, after you, Carter." So far he'd only been able to figure out their ranks and last names. Although he wasn't sure Teal'c had any other name. In fact, he wasn't sure about that man at all. 

Carter nodded and began up the ramp towards the ring and its glistening pool with the rest at her heals. MacGyver followed after them, if a bit more hesitantly. Go _There?!?_

He watched as his 'team' walked through the ring and disappeared into the depths of the pool. Trepidation, sheer horror, and absolute fascination raged for control inside Mac's mind. All too soon he found himself but an inch away from the strange phenomenon and his fingers itched to just reach out and touch it. 

All right Mac, just put one foot in from of the other, you can do this, he coached to himself. "Awww Man!" He stepped through and for a split second MacGyver thought he could actually _feel_ his molecules dispersing. 

****** 

"Just tell us where the artifact is MacGyver!" 

"I can't tell you what I don't know." 

His kidnapper, so internally dubbed Gravel Voice, gave Jack a hard disbelieving glare before punching him rather hard in the stomach. This wasn't the first such hit that morning. 

Jack sagged slightly between the two people holding him and coughed deeply to clear his bruised lungs. "I'm getting real tired of that," Jack grumbled but was only hit again. He thought for a moment that a rib might have cracked. 

Not much to Jack's surprise Gravel Voice had directed him to an abandoned warehouse in the middle of town. Probably even the same one Mac had been at. There they had met up with two more of his buddies and the trio had now taken to trying to interrogate Jack. 

It wasn't exactly a high quality set up. No other bad guys had appeared, and for all these guys had managed to take him at gunpoint they didn't exactly come off as any kind of professionals. That ruled out any government agency. So who were these guys? 

"Why don't you tell me a bit more about it and maybe I can tell you if I've seen your _artifact_," Jack sarcastically suggested. His supposedly restrained hands were already working at the knots of the ropes and it wouldn't be long before he had them undone. He might as well try and gleam any information he could from these thugs while he was here. 

Gravel Voice let out a sound of frustration and looked ready to punch O'Neill yet again. Jack just stood there waiting for it, but it never came. Then to the Colonel's surprise Gravel Voice began chuckling, a gleam of insanity growing in his eyes. Okay, maybe they weren't thugs after all, maybe they were psychopaths. "You know someone here, don't you? We tracked the package here, we know the address you sent it to, and it doesn't exist! But I know you're a genius which means someone must have picked it up for you." Gravel Voice leaned in close to Jack and stated menacingly. "This can go the easy way, or the hard way." 

"My sentiments exactly," Jack responded, returning the look glare for glare. For a moment Gravel Voice seemed startled, and more than a little disturbed by Jack's behavior. No doubt it was quite unlike Mac's had been, Jack realized, but he didn't care. Mac could get out of situations his way, but Jack had his own method, and the knot was loose enough now that it'd take but a twist of his wrists to free his hands completely. 

Gravel Voice stepped back a pace, uncertainty covering his face, which quickly hardened to anger as he growled out. "I don't have time for your games anymore MacGyver. We'll find out who has it one way or another, so you can either tell us now or die." At which point Gravel Voice pulled out his gun. 

"Oh, see, now we're starting to talk the same language," Jack casually replied. "In fact I was just about to tell you, you can either let me go-" and he stopped mid-sentence as he let the ropes fall to the ground. In just a couple of seconds, Jack had sharply back-fisted one of his holders in the face, then pivoting quickly, expertly planted his elbow to the back of the head of the other before striking the temple of the one still dazed effectively knocking them both unconscious. They hadn't tried to block or anything. Yep, thugs. That left one to go. 

Jack didn't wait as instincts took over and he immediately tackled Gravel Voice to the ground, slamming into him hard and solid. His mind registered the sound of the gunfire, even recognized the pain in his side, but it didn't slow him down any and within moments Jack had the man on the ground, a knee against his back and an arm twisted in place to hold him still. The gun now in Jack's hand was pressed against the neck of his would-be captor. 

-"or I'd have to kill you," Jack finished with a snide smile. "Now, why don't you tell me who you are and why you want this _artifact_?" A hoarse chuckle started low in Gravel Voice's throat, a sound that only rose in a quick crescendo to manic laugher. "Care to share the joke?" Jack demanded, feeling quite disconcerted by the sound and a tad light headed. 

"You don't think we're the only ones looking for it, do you MacGyver?" Gravel Voice asked. He laughed some more, now a harsh bitter laugh that just as suddenly turned to choking. 

Jack jerked back in alarm as foam spurted from the man's mouth. The guy was dead within moments. Quickly looking around for anyone else O'Neill could only see the other two still unconscious on the floor. How did Gravel Voice get poisoned? It must have been self administered which begged the question, why would he suicide? 

Okay, two thugs, and one psychopath! 

There was a sharp stitch in his side and looking down Jack realized with some surprise that his shirt had turned red. He pulled it up to find a small bullet hole in his left side leaking freely. Feeling behind him he also found an exit hole, which was some small relief, but he was still loosing blood, and quickly. He had to get out of here, find Mac, and figure out what was really going on! 

For an abandoned warehouse serving as a bad guy's retreat, it wasn't exactly fortified as such. Easily finding his truck, Jack quickly headed home, but took several winding routes to get there just to be sure he wasn't being followed. There wasn't even a hint of anyone tailing him. More and more Jack wondered who those guys were. _Were_ they the same ones who'd grabbed MacGyver before? 

Pulling into the driveway, Jack sucked in a breath and quickly headed for his front door. It was awkward getting the key into the slot and the door open without getting any blood anywhere. He really needed to do something about that. The truck would need a thorough cleaning later, too. 

"Mac?!" Jack called out, disturbed as only silence answered. Was he too late? Did these 'others' Gravel Voice had talked about already get to MacGyver? The _real_ MacGyver? Jack made a thorough search of the house but still turned up with nothing. Not even a cryptic note left behind. "Great, this is just great!" Jack growled out then sighed. His side was numb and he was having a harder time focusing. 

He needed to get himself fixed up. Gratefully the bullet had gone through or there would have been complications even he couldn't fix. No vital organ's had been hit either. Janet would say he was lucky, but Jack knew better. Cleaned, bandaged, freshly dressed, and full of painkillers, Jack sank down on the couch wondering _what next_? He _had_ to find MacGyver. 

Taking a deep breath Jack closed his eyes and sat thinking but after ten minutes nothing had come to him. "Damn. Maybe it's been too long," he grumbled, but then jumped as someone suddenly rang his doorbell. "There's no way," Jack murmured with disbelief and cautiously rose to answer the door. It'd _never_ been _that_ easy. 

But it wasn't Mac, just the mailman, who honestly seemed surprised Jack was even home. "Oh, sorry. There's a package with your mail that I need you to sign for." 

Silently, Jack took the box addressed to him as well as the bundle of envelopes that normally had to be squeezed into his far too often overfull mailbox. The mailman looked at the electronic pad Jack was signing and with a smile waved goodbye, disappearing back down the sidewalk towards his mail cart. 

"Well I bet we can all guess who your 'friend' was, Mac," Jack groused to the empty living room and then tossed the package on the couch. He put the envelopes, bills no doubt, on the table to deal with later, but there wasn't any artifact inside the box, only a food processor he'd forgotten he'd ordered online several weeks ago. "Bout time it got here," Jack grumbled if just to release some of his confusion. This day was quickly going from bad to worse! 

Letting his head fall back and closing his eyes Jack let out a long sigh. Right now he'd rather just sleep it all off, that or get some better painkillers from Janet. Nothing about this situation felt right, and he didn't have a clue where to look next. 

Then, with a frown, a thought occurred to Jack, and reaching over he picked up his pile of letters. Amongst them was a letter addressed to MacGyver at an address that wasn't even remotely similar to Jack's. How it ended up with his mail was something Jack didn't care to think about. Opening it up, he found an iridescent smooth flat white stone. There were no markings on the outside but just looking at it Jack somehow knew it was alien. "Sweet," he sourly murmured letting it fall into his lap. 

Well, first things first. By now Jack could only imagine how his team was reacting. He had to call in, come up with some excuse why he was gone. Then he had to find Mac. The old fashioned way if need be. 

"This is Hammond." 

"General, I'm sorry I didn't-" 

Hammond cut Jack off. "I'm sorry, who is this?" 

"I'm me, sir, O'Neill." Jack slowly said into the phone. 

"That's not possible, I _know_ where Colonel O'Neill is." 

"That's right sir, yes, yes you do," Jack replied quickly, realization hitting him smack full in the face. He suddenly knew_ exactly_ where Mac had gone. "In fact sir, we're not even having this conversation." He hung up the phone before the General could say anything else and snapped at himself, "Now you've gone and done it Jack!" 

He didn't have long; the General would no doubt be sending a team over to look into the mysterious phone call right now. That gave him twenty minutes at most. First step was to get rid of any evidence that he'd been here, especially the blood in the bathroom. Next was to pull out the tools he'd need from his hidden stash. 

A towel cleaned off most of the blood from his steering wheel and soon enough Jack was on his way to Cheyenne Mountain, via the back pass. There was absolutely no _way_ he was leaving Mac on an alien planet! 

***** 

_This was an alien planet._ The thought kept repeating in his head like a broken record. They'd explored half the 'site' with still no signs of life. That was just fine with Mac, he wasn't sure how he'd react if he saw some _actual_ aliens anyway. 

"O'Neill, the ruins appear to have been abandoned for some time," Teal'c commented at his side as they wandered the confusing labyrinth of stone corridors. 

"They do, don't they?" Mac murmured out loud, but internally exclaimed, and this is what Jack _does_ for a living?!! Explore alien planets? Mac had had no idea this was Jack's life. Well, it wasn't like they went out of their way to talk much. More often than not they went out of their way to _avoid_ each other, really. 

Then his eyes caught sight of something familiar and Mac stopped, stooping down to gaze with unadorned amazement at the writing running along the bottom of the passageway they were following. Most of the structure didn't seem to have any writing anywhere, this was the first he'd seen, and it was just like the writing at the dig in Oregon! 

"Jack?" "O'Neill." "Sir?" 

It was yet another second before Mac realized they were talking to _him_ and responded. "Right, sorry." Trying to sound as in charge as he could he ordered, "We should keep going. Be on your guard." Personally MacGyver thought it sounded like something a Colonel might say, but the others were still giving him the most peculiar of looks. 

Then Daniel knelt down to look at what Mac had seen. "Hold on Jack. This…it looks like Goa'uld but…Teal'c?" 

MacGyver couldn't stop himself from grinning. They _knew_ what the language was! Or close to it anyway. Now he _really_ knew Jack could help him out. 

Teal'c bent over to look at the writing and rising stated, "If it is Goa'uld than it is of no dialect I have ever seen before." 

"Right," Mac stated, if a bit too eagerly. "Let's see where it goes." For the writing was obviously leading somewhere. MacGyver nervously noted that the rest of the team were now giving each other concerned looks. Guess that means that's not how Jack acts. Well, nothing else he could do now but continue onward. 

Deciding not to wait for them to call him on his faux paus, Mac started walking further down the hall, his 'team' slowly following behind. 

If this was how the rest of his first trip to an alien planet would be, searching ruins, and discovering new things, then MacGyver decided things wouldn't be all that bad after all. Unfortunately, there was the other part of off-worlding he had yet to be introduced to, the dangerous part, and the next thing MacGyver knew they were being openly fired upon from behind. 

This wasn't the first time MacGyver had ever been shot at, although it was the first time it was with energy blasts, and frankly, he didn't much care for it. "Get down!" He called out needlessly, turning back to see what was happening. A shot of energy passed by his face so close he could actually feel the heat radiating from it. The burst missed him and struck the passage's wall with brutal force leaving a deep scorch mark to rest around a sizable hole as evidence. 

Mac wasn't exactly sure what happened next. He remembered seeing his 'team' return fire, and then Jackson in front of him was stuck by a blast in the thigh and fell. Mac didn't think, he just reacted, and grabbing Jackson's collar yelled out, "Get back! Retreat! Whatever the hell you say. We've got to go!" 

Dragging an unconscious Jackson with him, MacGyver moved around the corner of the passage into a large room. Jogging back he peered around the corner to see what was happening. Both Carter and Teal'c were still holding their positions, half the…aliens?...were dead and the other half looked ready to fall or flee. They didn't really look like aliens, more like Ancient Native Americans actually, dressed in leather and covered in paint, although they each had identical tattoos on their foreheads. A clan symbol maybe? Teal'c also had a kind of tattoo on his head. Mac briefly wondered if it meant something. 

But these 'Indians' weren't firing with bows and arrows. They were using long staffs that shot out energy like he'd never seen before. Another blast went slicing by his head and Mac reactively ducked back into the room right before another struck the ceiling just above the doorway. 

A loud rumbling noise filled the air, and Mac instinctually knew what would happen next. He dashed back to Jackson to try and offer some protection even as the rocks began to fall and the structure around the entrance all at once caved in. 


	3. break in

Author's Note: Thanks again for the wonderful reviews! It's neat hearing the bits ppl like from the story. Helps me to refine what stays and what gets rewritten, which happens the more times I edit each chapter. Lol. 

Author's Note2: Managed the extra chapter this week, and because it was a special request (Happy Birthday AuroraDannon!) I'll post another on the 2nd, but after that I'm going back to my once a week standard unless I can get really ahead in my writing. :) 

Author's Note3: Anyone ever notice Goa'uld is both the name of their race and their nationality? And because of that I couldn't decided whether or not to capitalize it, so that may vary depending on context. :P 

Well, enjoy, hope everyone had a good holiday weekend, and if what's going on is confusing, it'll all come clear in time, trust me. :D 

----- 

Carter felt a surge of panic rise as the dust cloud settled to reveal the newly blocked passageway. What if it had buried the Colonel and Daniel? 

"They are fleeing," Teal'c stated coming back to join her with his Zat'nik'tel in hand. 

Nodding, Carter shifted some of the loose rock from the pile hoping to find a hole. "Colonel?! Daniel? Can anyone hear me?" But there was no response. 

"I do not believe the chamber beyond has collapsed, but it might if we start digging." Teal'c said in his unfathomably calm voice. 

Sam pursed her lips thinking it over, but it didn't take much thought to know Teal'c was right. "There's hope then," she stated with renewed determination. "Let's get back to the Gate. We can get help and come back." 

Teal'c nodded assent and turned. But they didn't make it to the gate before another group of jaffa appeared. This one containing at least twice as many as the first, although dressed just as oddly. Sam had never seen jaffa like this before. Usually jaffa were clad in metal armor, not leather skins, with a goa'uld not too far away. 

They surrounded the two members of SG-1, biting out the strange words of their native tongue. "Teal'c?" Sam asked keeping her weapon trained on the nearest jaffa. 

Teal'c shook his head. "If it is goa'uld, it is of an odd dialect." And he tried responding in goa'uld but that only agitated the group of natives that much more. 

At least they weren't firing yet. Sam knew the odds were too good against them, and there wasn't any good cover out here, they had to try something else. "Put down your Zat Teal'c." Sam stated, raising one hand and carefully putting her gun down on the ground in front of her. They needed to remain alive if they wanted to help the others. Teal'c looked disconcerted, but did as she ordered. 

****** 

O'Neill stood at the back door to the SGC. Actually, it was more like a free falling tunnel with a cap and a padlock on top. There were some sensors as well now, this back door had been used far too many times in the past, but Jack knew how to disable those without anyone the wiser. He just hated the climb down. 25 or so levels was a long way to go. 

"I guess I better get started," he said to no one in particular. It didn't take more than a meters worth of sliding down his rope before O'Neill realized it'd be even harder than he thought as the ache in his side became suddenly quite painful. "Oh, _this_ is going to be fun!" 

By the time he reached the level he wanted Jack was breathing in heaves and ready to collapse. Trying to rest for a moment and yet stay suspended, Jack worked at burning through the bolts on the door latch. He'd picked a normally unfrequented level to make his break in, but only luck would get him in unseen. Slowly, Jack cracked the panel open to find the hallway empty and a camera in the corner but facing the other way. There was just enough space for him to squeeze out and into one of the science labs still unseen by the electronic eye. 

After that Jack worked his way carefully over to a computer and slipping in a disk began accessing the security systems. Several keystrokes later, Jack pulled up views of the cameras, just as security was seeing them, and then activated his program. Along with that he pulled out something the look very much like a car alarm. 

He hadn't really tested it out before, but now seemed as good a time as any. In theory the clicker would send a signal to his program, identify the camera id, and freeze frame that particular camera's image till the second signal was sent. Clicking the small device in the direction of the camera Jack got up and slowly moved into the camera's view but where he could still see the screen on the computer. It showed nothing more than an empty room. 

"Sweet!" Jack grinned and moved back, clicking the second button on the remote that would reset the camera back to normal. That part wasn't so easy to test without giving himself away, which he wasn't willing to do. But it meant he could move about any empty hallway or room unnoticed. 

He wondered briefly how Carter would react if she knew he could do this. It wasn't like he knew how to hack into a computer, and he still had the occasional problem formatting his reports, but you didn't spend half your life in covert ops and not pick up a thing or two. Chuckling, Jack checked the hall and slipped out of the room. 

Fifteen minutes later he was dressed in his usual for off-worlding, minus his cap. Mac had left it behind in the locker, and as tempting as it was, Jack knew he had to be even more careful now not to make a mistake. He was still kicking himself over the call to Hammond. Even now as he crouched in the empty hallway just outside the gate room Jack wondered how exactly he'd be able to cover this up. Only Davis was at the controls, on station in the event of any unexpected off-world activity but there'd never be a moment when someone _wasn't_ there. 

Mentally shrugging, Jack pulled out the Zat gun he'd opted to bring as extra and with a click of his 'car alarm' to ensure the camera would continue to show Davis sitting patiently at the station, O'Neill aimed and fired. The airman sat up with a jerk as the energy encompassed him then sank over unconscious. 

Jack hurried in, putting his Zat gun away and patting Davis on the back as he murmured, "Sorry about that buddy." Working quickly, Jack accessed another program. This one he'd actually stolen off of Carter's laptop and tweaked for personal use about a year ago. Hopefully it would completely erase any log of his next set of actions from the computer. Finally ready, he fired up the stargate's dialing sequence hoping SG-1 had been sent to P5X-239 as planned. If not, he was screwed. 

With a grin, Jack waited till all seven chevrons were engaged and the program was already erasing what they were from the screen before he dashed down to the gate. There'd be no way he'd be able to cover up the use of the gate, but he could at least leave them wondering who it was and where they went. 

To the SGC's credit, Jack could hear the alarms sound right before he disappeared through the wormhole. 

***** 

MacGyver coughed a few times to clear his lungs of dust. Under him Jackson was also coughing, followed quickly by groans as the man reactively tried to shift. "Hey, Jackson, you okay?" Mac asked, automatically taking a closer look at the man's wounded leg. 

The upper portion of the legged looked a little scorched and red, but at least it wasn't bleeding horribly. It was comparatively different than burn wounds or explosive wounds that would have taken the leg right off, which it hadn't. In fact, the blast hadn't done much more than burn away the top epidermal layers over a sporadic area, and even the burning had self-cauterized the wound. It was a lot less than MacGyver would have expected considering what a blast did to the walls and ceiling in the hallway. The energy must affect animate and inanimate objects differently, he reasoned. Certainly the greatest damage seemed more from the energy itself, like being hit by lightning, rather than the physical damage of the burn. 

Jackson groaned again, his eyes fluttering open, but he was still looking pretty hazy. Mac leaned closer, wondering if there was a flashlight hidden in his vest's pocket that he could use. The light coming from cracks in the ceiling was enough to see by, but not terribly well. "You okay?" 

"Jack?" Jackson questioned, and then seemed to come more awake as he struggled to sit up. He looked at MacGyver with blurry eyes. "What happened?" 

"The ceiling collapsed," Mac told him, then turned to get a better look at the room they occupied and the amazingly tall pile of rocks sealing them in. "I'm pretty sure the others weren't caught in the collapse, but I don't think the passageway would hold up to any digging right now." It was strange. The hallway had been made solely out of stone, and a good portion of this room was the same, but the rest of it, the lower half of it was made from a dusty gold looking kind of metal, even the floor. MacGyver rapped on the ground hearing the thickness in the sound, but hearing more than just solid ground, too. He had a suspicion these 'ruins' lead down rather than up. 

Beside him Jackson sighed, half closing his eyes from the pain in his leg and an obvious exhaust of energy. "So we're stuck here." 

Giving the man a grin, MacGyver warmly chastised, "You need to be more optimistic Jackson, there's always a way out of every place!" 

Jackson just raised his eyebrows not commenting. 

***** 

Carter was a little surprised at how big the ruins really were, and just how far around them they were walking. The jaffa natives who'd taken them captive had taken their weapons and vests and tried burning them in a pit, treating the items as if they'd been cursed. It hadn't gone so well. 

After the small explosion that had resulted, Carter and Teal'c were treated as that much more dangerous and were now being led with twice as many fanatic guards in close attendance as before. 

"Why do you suppose they're taking us _around_ the ruins?" Sam asked Teal'c quietly as they walked. 

"I believe they believe the place to be cursed. As I believe they believe we are." Teal'c responded. He'd been listening to the natives as they talked on almost a continual basis, but had told Carter he'd only been able to pick out a few of the words. 

Cursed. Sam though about that. "Because we came from the ruins." One of the jaffa opened his staff weapon and gestured with it adding several angry words to his motion. Most likely 'be quiet,' but Sam just turned to him saying insistently. "We didn't come from there. We came from the stargate. The chaapa'ai." The native just repeated his threatening gesture and Carter sighed giving up. Communication was Daniel's front. 

On the other side of the abandoned ruins they entered a small town, but the construction didn't fit anything else they'd seen so far on the planet. Where everything before this had been made from stone, all the buildings here were made of wood. Simple in structure, but covered in elaborate carvings. 

They were led through the center of the town, the natives who lived there shying fearfully out of the way of the procession. They were all dressed simply in soft leathers or cloth, and they all had the tattoo on their forehead that marked a jaffa's allegiance to a particular goa'uld. The people here wore a symbol of a flower of sorts as best Sam could figure, but neither she not Teal'c recognized it. Then, as they passed two men without shirts, Sam realized something. It startled her so much she actually stopped and had to be prodded back into motion by one of her guards. 

She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed before, but she'd just assumed…Sam silently chastised herself and then whispered to her teammate. "Teal'c. Do these guys _feel_ like jaffa to you?" 

The look on the big man's face said he'd just realized what had been before them the whole time. "Indeed they do not MajorCarter." 

"That's what I thought," Carter affirmed. There wasn't a single goa'uld symbiote in any of these people! They were human! 

***** 

Daniel watched with open curiosity as Jack moved about the room rapping softly on different places along the wall. He'd abandoned half his gear beside Daniel as 'too bulky,' which oddly happened to be every one of his guns, and now seemed to be searching for something. 

With his leg safely bandaged Daniel leaned back against the wall. He'd noticed, as Jack had, the change in the structure materials, and an idea had been rummaging in his mind trying to explain it. "Do you.." he began, detracted momentarily by his own thoughts before continuing. "You know this could be a goa'uld ship. Crashed here a long time ago and they just built up around it." 

"Ya?" Jack returned with more interest than Daniel would have expected. He looked over to see the Colonel crouched before a section of the wall. He pulled out a little red object from his pocket and began using it to fiddle with the cracks in the wall. 

"What's that?" 

"I think I might have located a possible door, but there has to be some sort of mechanical switch for it here somewhere." 

"No I mean…" 

Jack looked up, then suddenly understanding grinned and waved the small red object telling Daniel, "It's my Swiss Army Knife. Never leave home without it!" 

Swiss Army Knife? Daniel frowned, he didn't remember seeing Jack ever use it before, but the Colonel was already focused back on what he was doing and much to Daniel's surprise had successfully found a way to unlatch the panel from the wall. 

"How did…?" But Daniel let the sentence fall short, confused, as Jack pulled yet a second panel off next to the first. The inner workings of the wall were covered in circuits and wires, and even the kinds of crystals Daniel had seen multiple times within both Ancient and Goa'uld technology. 

Jack was giving it a good look over, a thoughtful expression covering his face. Then he carefully pulled out one of the crystals to give it further scrutiny. "These don't look much like a source of energy as they do a memory storage of sorts. There's conduits running from one crystal to the next, but it's not set up right for this to be the power source." He put the crystal back and again looked up the wall. "There's an amazing lack of rust here. I wonder what exactly these wires are coated in to protect them so well. The fuses look tampered with, but I think I can get the door open." 

"You can do that?" Daniel asked with open surprise. He was starting to wonder if the shock to his system had messed up his sense of reality, too. 

Jack just grinned at him. "You'll be the first to find out!" 

***** 

O'Neill jogged through the broken tunnels of the ruins moving further and further into the structure's heart. He could see signs of disturbance to the right, but his instincts were tugging him elsewhere. If he was going to find Mac he would have to trust his instincts more now than ever before. 

Pretty soon the interior changed and Jack stopped to examine the differences. Little to no writing anywhere and not a single hieroglyph in sight but it was still similar enough to a goa'uld ship that Jack couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity. Normally these pyramid shaped monstrosities were well visible from the ground. This one had to be buried…or smaller than most,_ much_ smaller. 

So far he hadn't come across any natives but nonetheless he moved carefully through what felt like abandoned hallways. His instincts tugged at him again and Jack entered a room to his right, the outline of a door visible on the opposite wall. He moved over to it, standing to the side as he hit the only button visible. The door didn't budge. 

Grumbling, Jack stubbornly banged on the control and was quickly rewarded with a 'swoosh' as the door reluctantly opened. On the other side kneeling on the floor with his hands half raised was Mac. And further in was an extremely shocked and confused looking Daniel. That wasn't _quite_ what he'd expected. "Damn!" 

Daniel's reaction was far quicker as he raised a gun at Jack and frantically demanded. "Who are you?!" 

Jack raised his hands and stepped into the doorway trying to look as innocent as possible. "This isn't what you think Daniel. Just put the gun down and we'll talk it all out." He took another step closer, just stepping through the doorway. 

Mac jerked, crying out, "Jack, no!" But it was too late; he'd already passed through the open doorway and quite suddenly the panel MacGyver had been working on sparked and flared like fireworks on the fourth of July. Much to their chagrin, the door once again slid shut blending neatly in with the wall it was a part of. 

"What the hell was that?!" Jack demanded to Mac quickly recovering from the shock of the wall spitting flares at him. 

MacGyver made a face. "I tried to warn you!" He was trying to get a good look at the circuitry, but it was still sparking and he quickly retracted his fingers for his own safety's sake. 

O'Neill looked at the wall noticing the bent bits of silver in amongst the wires. "Where'd you get the paper clips?" 

"They were in the briefing room." 

"Excuse me!" Daniel exclaimed catching their attention. "Hysterical anthropologist with a gun here! What is going on?!" 

Jack looked at his friend, worry briefly coloring his emotions as he noticed the injury to his teammate's leg. "Daniel, this is all just a bad dream." 

"Ya right!" Daniel bit out, but in the next minute stated a little calmer. "You're Jack aren't you?" Then looking at Mac asked. "So who are you?" 

O'Neill exchanged looks with MacGyver. They'd been keeping the secret for so long to even admit that the secret existed was hard. But it was already obvious something wasn't right. What could they say, that they were twins? Somehow Jack didn't think Daniel would believe them and even if he did, how do they convince him to keep it quiet? 

Rising slowly, MacGyver looked over at Daniel saying casually, "My name's MacGyver. And you're right, that's your Jack. I'm sort of his brother." 

Daniel looked stumped…and exhausted. "Brother? _Twins?_" 

Stepping a bit closer, Jack smirked replying, "Something like that, ya." So the twin cover it would be. Daniel's hold on his gun was wavering and Jack wanted to make sure his friend was all right. From here he could see the signs of a staff weapon blast on Jackson's pant leg. The leg itself was wrapped with white gauze, but he still needed to be sure Daniel was okay. 

"Jack, I don't understand," Daniel said as Jack approached and crouched down at his side, gently taking the gun from Daniel's hands. "Why didn't you tell us you had a twin?" 

"Well Danny," Jack said, taking a breath and placing the gun on the ground next to the pile of others, probably Mac's. "It's classified." 

"Classified?" Daniel wearily questioned with a frown, but automatically let Jack check the bandaging. 

MacGyver slowly approached from the other side then similarly crouched down next to Jack. He smiled slightly embarrassed at the anthropologist. "Sorry for deceiving you earlier. It wasn't intentional." 

"No, no, that's okay," Daniel automatically replied then frowning deeper grabbed at Jack's arm. "Why would it be classified?" 

Jack stared at those penetrating soft brown eyes and simply didn't know how to answer. After a minute of silence, MacGyver coughed, then, coming up with an explanation told the anthropologist, "There was a mix up and we were separated at birth. From there I ended up in a government program and was raised to be a DXS agent. I've left them, but they're not too happy about it. They don't have any control over me but if they knew I knew about my real family that would change." 

It was a complete lie, but it was a lie Daniel seemed to be believing. "Do you understand Daniel? These guys are worse than NID. They've got sweepers everywhere, so it's absolutely _vital_ that no one knows Mac was ever here," Jack reinforced. 

Nodding slowly, Daniel didn't look too happy about it, but he agreed anyway. "Were you the guy from last night?" 

"Yep, that was me," MacGyver confirmed. "Needed to loose some pests for a day or two. Never expected to end up on an adventure like this, I just didn't know what to do when your friends found me at Jack's and thought I was him." 

Again Daniel nodded excepting the story, but he looked quickly at Jack concerned. "Then what happened? Why didn't you show up this morning?" 

Glaring over at Mac, Jack growled, "I was dealing with _his _pests! Speaking of which, you and I are going to have a long discussion later." Even MacGyver wasn't impervious to the famous Jack O'Neill Death Glare. 

"Sure," Mac hesitantly agreed, and then added, "After we get out of here." 

"Can you hotwire the door?" 

MacGyver shook his head. "Not once you came through it." 

Confused, Daniel interrupted, "I don't understand. What would Jack coming through the door have to do with fixing it?" 

Jack exchanged another look with Mac. O'Neill knew what it was MacGyver was referring to, and he hated it, but he hated explaining it that much more. 

Again, it was Mac who was able to cover for the slip. "The circuits are completely fused together, no matter how much rewiring I do, it's not going to open. But I do think I found the power source, and it channels in two directions." 

"So there's something else here," Jack finished for him. Mac nodded and Jack wanted to sigh, why couldn't life be nice and simple? Just once? "All right. Let's find out what it is." 

****** 

Flexing her hands, Carter again tried to pry at the knots. They'd been taken to the center of the village where two wooden poles had been erected in the middle of a circular clearing. Wooden poles they were currently tied to. Most of the natives of the village had come to see what was going on and several small fires had been erected at the edge of the clearing. 

For a moment, Carter wondered if these people were planning on setting them on fire like they had their stuff, but after the natives started up some sort of dancing ritual that no longer seemed to be the plan. 

"What do you think they're doing?" Carter called to Teal'c. 

"Dancing." 

For a brief moment something witty and completely sarcastic sprung to mind, but it only served to remind Carter of the Colonel. They had to get out of here, they had to get back to help them, but right now she couldn't really see how. 

Then the dance ended and someone new showed up at the edge of the clearing. He was old, likely the leader in town, and dressed almost ornamentally compared to the rest. The old man stood before them, and despite his obvious years called out to the crowd with a reaching voice. 

"He is calling us demons," Teal'c said, attempting to translate as best he could. The jaffa cocked his head slightly as he listened, a slightly perplexed look on his face. "He says the demons come from the ship, but I believe he is referring to the ruins. Other demons have come from the ship, he is going to send us back." 

"To the ruins?" Carter asked, equally confused, but before Teal'c could answer, something they'd never expected happened. With a bright flash of light, transport rings suddenly rose up out of the soft dirt to encompass them amidst the wild cheering of the natives. Within the rings, Sam and Teal'c were transported to a place deadly silent, musty in smell, and completely devoid of any light. 

"Teal'c?" Sam cautiously questioned, hearing a grunt beside her. She automatically tried turning to the sound, but realized her mistake a second too late. The log she was still tied to was no longer embed into anything to keep it upright. With a small cry of surprise Carter felt the sensation of falling flood through her a moment before the sharp crack of impact as the log hit the ground, taking her forcibly with it. 

Beside her, there was another sound of something hard hitting the ground and even a small grunt of pain. 

"Teal'c?" Sam questioned again into the blackness. 

"I am fine." 


	4. The ship

Author's Notes: Not clones! :P I know you're just all wondering what on Earth is the deal with Jack and Mac, and we'll get there, but right now I've got to progress the plot of the story. One, by the way, I'm glad people are enjoying. I've very much been enjoying myself writing it. So thanks for all the reviews and comments and everything! And I'll tell you, figuring out MacGyverisms isn't as easy as it seems, even the really simple one I used in this chapter. Oiy! Oh, and, well, because dangling carrots is way to tempting, I got the idea for the concept of the connection and mystery of who Jack and Mac really are from watching The Pretender and Escaflowne. Ya, go figure. 

Author's Notes2: Denise wanted to know why Mac wasn't so surprised when he first met Teal'c. Well, I figured it could have gone either way. Maybe it's because I've lived five years in Seattle, but I've seen some pretty weird things embedded into people's skin, porcupine quills being the most painful looking of the lot, and to see a gold tattoo just doesn't seem so peculiar to me. Plus, in my mind, being that I'm the author (*wink* *wink* *grin*) I tend to think of Mac as being the loose kind of guy who's seen some pretty weird things, too, and would take note of it, but not really be surprised by it. Now when Mac discovers the symbiote, that'll be a _completely_ different matter. :D 

Author's Notes3: Happy Birthday AuroraDannon!! 

GUI (pronounced Goo-ee) – Graphical User Interface. An interface that enables the programmer to select the program's interface from a pre-existing range of options. Basically what us Windows users now commonly refer to as the desktop. ;) 

----- 

Daniel realized he'd dozed off again and mentally cursed. He knew he should rest, the blast of a staff weapon tends to drain a person of all their energy even if they manage to survive it and Daniel honestly felt completely wasted right now. But he was also afraid to close his eyes for fear that if he did he wouldn't be able to figure out who was who again. 

It disturbed him in more ways than he could count. Jack and Mac were so alike, in more than just appearances. It didn't help that they were both dressed the same right now, either, although Jack still carried his compliment of guns, as well as a Zat'nik'tel on his hip, whereas Mac's weapons were still in a pile next to Daniel. There were differences too, certain mannerisms, but even they weren't so noticeable unless you were looking for them. Jack was that much more flippant with his remarks while Mac was more laid back and casual about everything. 

But it was still disturbing now to listen as Jack went through Stargate 101 with his counterpart while they _both_ worked on a section of circuitry they had uncovered. As Daniel watched and listened he _knew_ it had to be Jack talking, but the way Jack was explaining things, in a way Daniel had never heard Jack talk before, and discussing concepts Daniel didn't even fully understand, it was hard to be convinced even _this_ was the real Jack. It wasn't like listening to Sam or anything, Jack had a much simpler and compact way of describing everything, but it was still more than Daniel had ever given Jack credit for and he wasn't sure how to deal with that bit of truth. 

Mac, on the other hand, sounded a lot more like Carter. 

"It's great that these DHD's can use constellations as reference points, but a constellation isn't actually a point at all, they're composed of several solar systems that most of the time aren't even anywhere _close_ to each other in their spatial relationship. They just _look_ that way from _this_ planet." MacGyver paused then amended, "From someone's perspective on a planet. In fact, take the same constellation and it completely changes from planet to planet there's no specific point of reference once you change your line of sight. Which in this case can be astronomical not to put it too lightly." 

Jack gave Mac a look, pausing briefly as he worked at stripping the protective coating off a wire with Mac's knife. "Come on Mac, just think of it like GUI. The point of reference is for us not for the DHD." He passed the knife back to Mac and started fishing for a different wire. Mac was doing the directing on what went where, but Jack also seemed to have an almost uncanny knowledge of the circuits. Especially considering these were alien circuits, Daniel silently grumbled. This was getting to be too much for him. 

"Well that would make sense," Mac murmured, agreeing with O'Neill, but still asked, "But how would the device make up for the fact that space is unlimited? Unless it's not. Can one really map the entire universe? There could be thousands of galaxies, and you need to have a set amount of space to even be able to deal with predetermined coordinates at all, especially if you take into account the Doppler Effect. Everything would have moved and the device would have to either recalibrate for the change, or reaffirm its coordinates somehow. Some form of space travel _without_ the wormhole would have to be used just to make sure the coordinates are even there if it was using something physical for measuring the distances." 

Jack thought about it for a second but then shrugged. "Who knows, it might do that. Carter would know." Then added suddenly, "Or it might actually have a grid set for each galaxy. When I traveled to this planet full of Asgards, cute little gray guys, the gate had to dial an eighth chevron to get there. Carter thought it was like a," and he paused, looking like he was forcibly pulling the words out of his memory, "an extra distance calculation, but…" he trailed off with another shrug. 

"Think it was a grid id?" Mac asked stepping back to examine their work. They'd salvaged the paperclips from the other job and infused them with what they were hotwiring here to give this device enough power to work. "I think it's ready…whatever it is." 

"I have an idea about that," Jack murmured, and then looked around the room. He motioned to Mac to back up by the wall and pressed together the two adjacent strips of mental that would normally be the unseen switch hidden inside the wall. 

Daniel was too tired to even react as transport rings suddenly appeared, raising up through the floor from within a circular design that had previously been obscured by dust and rubble. They disappeared again, taking several piles of rocks with it and leaving an immaculately clean circle on the ground. 

MacGyver on the other hand backed against the wall so quickly when it started that Jack actually laughed out loud. Mac gave him a glare. "You did that on purpose!" 

Still chuckling, Jack grinned. "I have to get my fun in somewhere. Ready to go?" 

"Go?" Mac asked still getting over his shock, then shoulders sagging complained, "Aww man!" 

Daniel felt much the same; he wasn't too excited to go either. Not that traveling via rings bothered him, but traveling anywhere right now seemed like too much. He couldn't help but feel mystified by everything. Jack had a twin. Jack and Mac. MacGyver. Somehow that name sounded familiar, he vaguely recalled Sam saying it. Did she know about him? For some illogical reason, that thought angered Jackson, till he realized there was simply no way Sam knew, was there? 

Then Jack…no MacGyver, was next to Daniel and giving him one of the most peculiar expressions. "By any chance do you have a pencil?" 

"Ah…ya." Daniel fished it out of the pocket he kept his pencil and note pad in and handed it over. He watched with a pained expression as MacGyver took out the medical tape, the Mini Mag-Light, his pocketknife, and the battery backing off a walkie-talkie along with one of the batteries. "Um…" 

Jack came over still chuckling, "I think the switch is too far from the rings, we'll need to rig it to- never mind. Got something?" 

Not bothering to look up, Mac worked at pulling the spring out of the bottom of the mini-mag-light. "Maybe. I need a shoelace." 

"Daniel, give him your shoelace." 

Daniel just stared at Jack, an even more confused expression creasing his face. He _really_ had a headache. 

By the time they were ready to go, Daniel felt twice as confused as he had before. Jack…no, not Jack, MacGyver, had finished with what ever it was he'd done to the wall and was pulling out a small rock from the rubble. 

"You going to be okay?" 

Daniel turned to…Jack, realizing he was probably showing as much as he felt from the expression on the Colonel's face. "Ya. No." 

O'Neill's eyebrow raised a little as he asked, "Well which is it?" But then he smirked and packing the last of MacGyver's guns into his own pack said, "As soon as we get back, Janet's going to get you all fixed up with her wonderful drugs and then everything _will_ be okay. Trust me." 

"Jack," Daniel began, but he honestly didn't know what to say. Jack just smirked again, the smile that said he understood but wasn't going to make things any easier by explaining. 

"Come on." And slinging the pack on his back, Jack was offering Daniel a hand up. Taking it, Daniel clenched his jaw to keep from crying out as he awkwardly got to his feet. In the end it'd been _his_ shoelace that'd been confiscated, but seeing as how he could barely put any pressure down on his leg anyway, Daniel didn't think it mattered too much. 

Leaning heavily on Jack, they made their way to the center of the room where Mac met them, handing the rock to Jack. "The next bit is your area of expertise." 

Daniel looked over to the wall where MacGyver was indicating. He could see now what had been pieced together around the switch and was a bit startled. "He has to hit that?" 

"And with enough force to compress the spring," MacGyver responded cheerfully. 

Daniel's shoelace was tied around one of the metal strips that would have to connect to initiate the rings. The other end was attached to the pencil half a foot away. The pencil was then taped to the battery, with the battery tapped to the wall and acting as a fulcrum. At the other end of the pencil was tapped the battery cover. The spring was wedged between the metal strips so that as soon as they touched they'd be forced apart again preventing the connection from sticking. The small battery cover was Jack's target. Not much room for error, Daniel worried, not looking forward to spending more time on his leg than necessary. 

Jack didn't look so pleased about it either, but he didn't say anything. Instead, taking out his Zat he offered the weapon to Mac. "Take this." 

For a long moment MacGyver just stared at the alien device then looking up at Jack with a pained expression finally replied, "No thanks." 

Daniel wondered what Mac's apparent aversion to guns was all about, but he knew the look on Jack's face. This wasn't something the Colonel was going to back down about. True to form, Jack insisted. "This is a Zat gun, the first shot only shocks the person, it takes two to kill, that should be enough for even you to handle." 

Making a face, MacGyver finally took the Zat, then looking suddenly nervous, waited for Jack to throw the rock. Daniel was honestly surprised when Jack hit the battery cover on his first try. The force of the throw pushed the pencil up which pulled the string attached to the metal bar and effectively 'pulled the switch' initiating the rings. Then, as the rock fell to the ground the spring pushed the metal strips apart, completing the function. 

Blue light engulfed them and with the slight wave of disorientation that always follows, the rings transferred them further below ground into the pitch of black. The sudden change caused Daniel to automatically reach out, his bad leg giving out beneath him. Strong hands held him up and someone asked on his left. "Danny, you okay?" 

Damn! He forgot which of them was standing where! "Ya, ya, I'm fine," Daniel replied through gritted teeth as he forced himself to put more pressure on his leg than he'd have liked. "Where are we?" 

"Like we can see any more than you can!" The same voice on his left stated sarcastically. It had to be Jack. 

"Wasn't there a…" The voice on his right trailed off as it moved away. 

"Ya." Jack, or the one on the left, answered and in a moment a flashlight flickered on illuminating a small area of the darkness. 

Okay, it_ was_ Jack standing next to him Daniel reasoned as he squinted at the figure in the vague light. Then Jack was swiveling the little light around the room. It wasn't big, but it was definitely of Goa'uld architecture. Even better, there was a door at the other end. MacGyver stood next to it, feeling out the hidden switch in the wall design of row upon row of hieroglyphs. Almost uncannily, the man's figures went straight to the small hieroglyph of a very goa'uld looking symbol, literally. It looked like a goa'uld, not something Daniel had ever seen as a hieroglyph before. 

The door opened with only a whisper and Daniel felt the stirring of cold air brush past his face. It tasted a little stale, but not horribly so. Then MacGyver was moving back to them. "You say this is a buried ship?" 

"It stands to reason," Daniel answered. "We've…" And he looked to Jack suddenly unsure how he was supposed to treat information around Jack's twin. 

"We've come across them enough times to know," Jack filled in, if a bit grudgingly. 

MacGyver's eyes lit up in the small beam of light as he grinned excitedly. "Really?" 

"Oh for crying out loud, come _on_, let's see if we can find a way _out_ of this tomb!" 

They moved slowly, mostly because of him, Daniel knew, but he refused to let himself be carried as long as he could walk. Which apparently wasn't too far, too fast. As yet, keeping who was who straight hadn't been too much of a problem. Jack had insisted at the least in 'helping' Daniel walk, and MacGyver who had snatched up the spare mini-maglight had persisted in scouting ahead in spite of Jack's repeated reprimands. 

Every time they caught up with him, Mac was avidly studying the glyphs that lined the walls, but this time it was with a frown. "What is it?" Jack finally asked when they actually passed the man who was too deep in thought to pay them any attention. 

Mac quickly caught up. "There's none of that writing that lined the walls upstairs." 

"It's just wall art Mac. Ain't that right Daniel?" 

Stepping towards the wall, Daniel was just as happy for the momentary break, and examining the lines of symbols found much to his surprise that some of the hieroglyphs actually made a bit of sense. He looked at it harder. "Ah, Jack, I think it actually_ does_ say something." 

"Sure, side with him," the Colonel grumbled, but in the next instant asked bluntly. "So what does it say, Daniel?" 

"Ah," Eopher, Metisule, Rauf…no, those are gate coordinates…more names, none of them familiar. "I don't know," he finally said exhaustion thick in his voice as he turned back around and leaned against the wall. Damn. He forgot which was which again and they were both half obscured in the back shadows of the flashlights. 

"All right. We'll take a break then keep going." 

Gratefully, Daniel just slid down to the passageway floor and tiredly closed his eyes. It was pointless trying to sort them out anyway. 

"So you've got an idea of where we're going?" 

"Ya, that a'way!" 

"You don't have a clue, do you?" 

"Do you?" 

"If we can find some more of that writing maybe it'll tell us something." 

"What, like where the exit is? This ship is buried, remember? What is it you're not telling me?" 

There was a long enough pause between the twins that Daniel opened his eyes again with concern. Both men were silently facing each other, neither of them moving. The small light of the flashlights wasn't enough to tell him much more than that, but then one of them turned, braking off whatever silent communication had been going on between them, and stated, "I'm going to go see what's ahead." 

"I'll come with you," the other one immediately offered, but the first raised his hand. 

"No. Stay here. I'll be back in a few." And then he disappeared down the hall, once again cutting the light down to half. 

Daniel frowned. Maybe he was just too tired to make sense of anything, but neither of the men had seemed pleased and Daniel for the life of him just couldn't figure out why. 

***** 

"Where do you think we are?" 

"It appears we are inside a goa'uld ship," Teal'c responded off to Sam's right. She looked in that direction as they cautiously moved along the length of the wall, but all that was in front of her eyes was blackness. Unfortunately, any form of light had been inside their vests. Getting out of their ropes had been interesting, too, but now both members of SG-1 were free and wandering the halls making sure to keep within a foot of each other at all times. 

"I don't know Teal'c. A base maybe. In either case, there should be a room with controls around here somewhere." 

"Indeed." 

Sam grinned, and then felt Teal'c's hand on her arm. "MajorCarter, there is a door here." 

"Where?" She realized it was a silly question the second she asked it, but after a minute, she felt more than heard a door opening and then Teal'c was tugging her sleeve towards him. 

Moving cautiously away from the steady guidance of the wall, Sam walked with Teal'c into the room, or at least what they assumed was a room, as they found another wall and began following it around. 

Then her foot hit something and Sam had to quickly bite back her surprise. "Something's here," she grumbled, feeling about the large boxy object that her foot had not so graciously located. There was an odd feeling to it, like there were buttons that should have been there but weren't, then her hand pressed upon something smooth and Sam felt something strange yet altogether recognizable tingle through her hand. 

She realized what it was even as Teal'c announced, "I believe these are the controls you were searching for." 

"Ya," Sam answered breathless. "I think you're right." But how to use them, she's wasn't so sure. Concentrating, Sam focused on the lights, and much to her surprise the blackness suddenly vanished as the ship's internal lighting flickered on. And it was a ship, a goa'uld mother ship, for what would normally be the window on the bridge of a Ha'tak was nothing more than a large hole with dirt cascading into the room where the force field would normally have kept it out. 

***** 

Jack had his gun in his hand in a second and aiming down the hall even as he blinked furiously against the sudden light. Turning back, he found Mac and Daniel, equally disoriented, but still alone. "All right, who did it?" Jack demanded, expecting a troop of jaffa to come around the corner any moment now. 

"Wasn't me," Mac stated. 

"Me neither," Daniel murmured, still keeping his eyes closed as he leaned heavily against MacGyver. Now that Jack had a good view of the anthropologist, Jack's worry doubled. They were pushing him too hard. Why the hell hadn't Jackson said anything? 

"Maybe the lights are motion sensitive through here?" Mac suggested, but he didn't sound too convinced. 

Again Jack scanned the corridor, but it was as devoid of anyone as it had been before. He almost wished there was someone there, then maybe he'd be able to shake the creepy feelings riding up and down his spine. Feelings that felt far too much like death. "Let's stop for a break." 

"No, I'm okay, we stopped five minutes ago," Jackson disputed. 

O'Neill looked at him, seeing the pained expression on his friend's face and was quite prepared to enforce his order, when Daniel gave him that smile, the one that had 'please' written all over it in such a pleading manor that Jack had never been able to refuse it. "Okay. We'll keep going." 

Mac hadn't said anything, but when he caught Jack's eyes, Jack could easily see the worry reflected there. Jack just turned and led them onward. Personally, he wouldn't have minded the rest either. The painkillers were still doing their job and his side was mostly numb but Jack knew all too well that adrenalin had had a huge part to do with his continued energy. 

After a bit they came to a break in the halls and Jack didn't even think about it, he turned right. That's when they started coming across doors. In all honesty, Jack wasn't so sure he wanted to see what was inside. In fact- 

"What's written on the outside?" 

Jack turned, taking a second look at the door. Down the center were gold hieroglyphs that very distinctly stood out from anything else. Daniel was looking at them too, and after a moment replied, "A name, I think. Huaresy." 

"Anyone we know?" Jack asked with a small frown. Daniel _really_ didn't look good at all. When they stopped he'd check the wound for an infection. 

"No. Not any name I recognize anyway. There might be something more inside-" 

"No!" 

Jack wasn't so surprised when the yell of alarm came out of his mouth as quickly as it did, nor was he really surprised when MacGyver said it at exactly the same time. The mere idea of going into the room had raised such a sudden surge of panic inside him that it was hard to subdue it. "Let's not open a can of snakes we don't want," Jack stated and purposely turned away from the door. 

"But Jack," Daniel began, obviously confused, not only by their reaction but by the lack of logic to it, too. 

Jack just ignored him knowing Daniel wouldn't push the argument. Behind him, he heard Mac optimistically suggesting, "I'm sure we'll find something more interesting up ahead." 

And so they did. 

***** 

"What do you think all these doors lead to?" 

"I do not know, MajorCarter." Teal'c paused in front of one, running a hand along the engraved hieroglyphs that ran down the center. They'd passed several doors like this, all of them running up and down several corridors they'd already explored. 

Carter stopped as well, feeling disconcerted as she looked up and down the all too quiet passageway. This ship wasn't laid out like any other goa'uld ship they knew, but it _was_ a goa'uld ship, that much they knew for certain now. Most likely crashed here a long time ago, she mused. Carter looked again at her teammate, trying to interpret the calm expression of his face. "What does it say?" 

"It is a name, Joshen." But then a slight frown graced his lips. "They are all names. I do not recognize any of them." 

"But you think they might be of goa'ulds?" Now Carter had an idea about what had made her jaffa friend so disconcerted. Teal'c didn't reply and Sam took a breath to calm her nerves. "Well, I guess there's only one way to find out. Can you open the door?" 

"I can." 

Teal'c reached out to feel along the wall beside the door. They, too, had been covered in names, Teal'c had told her. Strings of names, separated by a gate coordinates. His fingers pressed and twisted an embossed symbol of a goa'uld symbiote. Never before had Carter seen them actually use themselves as their symbol, and seeing it now sent shivers up her spine. 

With the click of gears long since unused, the door cracked, then fully opened. The two members of SG-1 stepped inside, a little surprised to find a sarcophagus sitting in the center of the small room. The walls of the room were completely covered from floor to ceiling in the Goa'uld writing. 

"What does it say Teal'c?" Sam asked, feeling again a wave of shivers ascend upon her back as she cautiously approached the sarcophagus, but it remained silent and closed, and hopefully sealed. 

The jaffa silently examined the walls, his frown deepening. "This is the same strange dialect we found in the ruins. I can not read all of it, but I believe it is an account of Joshen's war campaigns." 

"His campaigns?" Carter asked, confused. 

"MajorCarter, I do not believe we should wake Joshen up." 

"You can say that again," Sam muttered. "Teal'c, do you think all these rooms hold a sarcophagus with a goa'uld inside?" 

"Indeed, it does appear to be that way." 

"Ya but why? I thought goa'ulds fought for dominance, why would there be so many of them here, in one place?" 

Teal'c was silent for minute but finally responded with a simple, "I do not know." 

"Okay. Well, let's see if we can find anything other than goa'ulds on this ship. We still need to get out of here if we're going to get help for Daniel and the Colonel," Carter decided, moving back to the door. Every ounce of her body was screaming to get away from the room and its imprisoned snake, and she was just as willing to comply. 

They left the room, the door sliding shut behind them and locking the room in silence once again, that is, until the sounds of other gears made their presence known. 


	5. SG1 reunited

Author's Notes: Hi all! I'm glad people still like the story. I've really enjoyed everyone's reviews. It's always good to hear opinions and comments. I think this was one of my favorite chapters to write, and in this chapter I drop a large piece of the puzzle for all you wonderful readers out there. :D 

Author's Notes2: In regards to Elvaralind's question about Escaflowne, it wasn't the connection between Dilandau and Allen, but rather had to do with Naria and Eriya. I don't follow what happened to them necessarily, it's just what triggered the idea in my head. Which, if you've seen the series and once you've read this chapter will probably make a bit more sense. ;) 

Author's Notes3: I just got new nails for the first time in my life and it's really weird to type now. O.o 

----- 

Daniel knew it was Goa'uld, or at least a variant of Goa'uld, just like the writing in the ruins above them. It circled the rim of the machine with its gold inscription raise upon the odd glossy black metal. Some sort of message about keys to a network, or something like that. He'd have to study it later, when he could look some of it up, or when the symbols stopped blurring together. Either or would be good right now. At the very least Daniel insisted they take rubbings of the inscription now for them to take back with them. Jack had promptly decided to spend the time scouting ahead while MacGyver had been only too eager to help. At first Daniel was hesitant to let this man anywhere near the device. Damn, but he looked too much like Jack! Yet MacGyver obviously knew something about archeology as he took the rubbing wax and paper and expertly began making copies of the inscription in a neat and orderly fashion. Daniel could only watch with a surprised expression before sinking down to the ground to lean against the wall by their newest alien artifact in pure exhaustion. 

"I've got this, Daniel, why don't you relax for a while," Mac told him with a worried glance. 

Daniel could only nod and leaned back with a sigh of relief. He closed his eyes and tried willing the pain to go away but it wasn't working very well. He'd taken the meds they carried on hand, but in all honesty, Jackson was no longer certain if the headache was from his injury or this new form of double vision. What would happen if his vision really did double? Then there'd be four Jacks! 

"So…ah, Mac. What do you do?" 

"Anything." 

"Anything?" 

"Sometimes." 

Even as tired as Daniel was, he knew a diversionary tactic when he heard it, so he tried something else. "You seem to like archeology. Have you been on many digs?" 

Mac paused in what he was doing to give the Anthropologist a grin with that same subtle shrewdness to his eyes that Jack often got whenever they were faced with a culture the Colonel didn't trust. Yet Daniel didn't think it had the same meaning in Mac's case as the man only grinned further, replying with a small shrug, "A few." He went back to the rubbings, saying as he worked, "Mostly I have a friend who's interested in ancient cultures and I just get to tag along." 

"You have a lot of friends," Jack groused coming back from down the corridor he'd disappeared into. As far as they could tell, the halls with all the rooms lead here, to the machine. Jack gave MacGyver a look of disgust, and Daniel suddenly wondered if Mac's enthusiasm for archeology might have had something to do with Jack's _dislike_ for it. 

"Did you find anything?" Daniel asked Jack a little hopefully. His leg was throbbing so bad right now the pain was reaching up into his chest. He really wasn't sure how much further he could go. 

Jack and his twin both frowned, each of them giving Daniel equally concerned looks. Daniel wanted to laugh. Seeing them so identical, even in expression, reminded him of bookends and for a brief moment he had an image in his mind of them trying to hold up a life sized set of encyclopedias. 

"Danny?" 

Daniel looked over at Jack with a sheepish smile as the Colonel suddenly came over and crouched down in front of him. It was Jack, right? His vision blurred the harder Daniel tried to focus, and the bone wariness he'd managed to keep at bay settled in like a heavy blanket. "Which one are you?" The anthropologist asked suddenly unsure. 

The man in front of him sighed but instead of responding he reached out with a hand to Daniel's forehead. The touch was like ice and Jackson jerked away with a small cry of protest. "Hey!" 

The man just sighed again, and then softly said, "Try to get some sleep Daniel. We'll rest here for a while." 

"We need to get out of here," Daniel protested, but the man was patting his arm in reassurance and Daniel's eyelids seemed to be closing on their own accord. He _really_ wanted to go home. 

Daniel didn't remember falling asleep, but when he next woke his vision wasn't fuzzy anymore and, although he still felt completely exhausted, his head felt a lot clearer than it had before. 

Without moving, Jackson realized he was on his side curled up against the wall with two extra jackets serving as blankets. Opening his eyes, he could see the small stack of folded rubbings ready to be put back into the pack beside him. The Colonel and his twin were sitting up against the wall almost opposite him. It was near impossible to tell who was who now. They both had stripped their gear off and were talking so softly Jackson wouldn't have been able to hear them if this place wasn't so deathly quiet already. Daniel knew he should say something, let them know he was awake, but he knew so little about what was going on between them that he couldn't resist eavesdropping instead. 

"It's not the same." 

"It is the same. And I'm tired of it! It goes both ways and you know it." 

"Yes, I know it, and you know it. We know how it works now. We can use it to our advantage." 

"You sound like one of the damn scientists! We've been around each other for, what, about an hour or so? A day if you count from last night. And _look_ what it's already done!" 

Daniel watched as one of them angrily pulled out a grenade, pulled the pin, and set it very purposely on the floor in front of them. Eyes widening, Jackson suddenly found he couldn't move, whether because he was still too tired, or too shocked, he'd never know. Nor would he understand what happened next. 

It _didn't_ go off. 

The one who'd placed the grenade on the floor only made a grunt of disgust while the other sighed, took the pin, put it back into the grenade, and slipped it away into a pocket. 

Daniel forced his eyes to close, maybe listening in hadn't been such a good idea. After several moments he felt his heart rate slowly return to normal. Then, as the surge of panic died away, so did any ounce of energy he'd accumulated with his short amount of sleep. As he quietly drifted back to unconsciousness he heard one of them say, "The good and the bad, we can't change what we are, but that doesn't necessarily mean we should hide from it." 

***** 

Jack gave Mac a darkening glare. "Oh course we should hide from it!" He exclaimed exasperated. "I deal with life and death situations all the time on this job, I don't need our _luck_ messing things up!" O'Neill quickly looked to where Daniel lay asleep seeing if he'd woken the anthropologist up with his small outburst, but the man seemed quite dead to the world, hopefully not literally. Sighing heavily from frustration, Jack tucked his knees up and leaned on them. The stitch in his side from the bullet wound was growing exponentially stronger as the pain meds began to wear off. 

MacGyver had remained quiet for a few moments, but after some thought seriously stated, "Jack, I need your help." 

"With what?" Jack grumbled into his knees. "The alien rock?" 

"The disk? You got it then? Alien...?" Mac trailed off as if he hadn't realized that fact, but then exclaimed, "Of course!" 

Jack could feel the man getting up beside him and audibly groaned before forcing himself to get up and join Mac by the machine. "What?" Jack demanded. 

Mac had a slight smirk on his lips and gleam of laughter in his eyes as he felt along the top of the large rounded device. "This writing was all over the dig site in Oregon," Mac told him. 

"Of course it was," Jack grumbled. "Mac, I don't think it's such a good idea-" O'Neill started, hoping to stop the man, but MacGyver apparently found what he was looking for because the top suddenly opened up like a flower in blossom. 

Jumping back, Jack cautiously stepped forward again looking inside the machine. At its center was a black opalescent sheet platform with three white rimmed circles, one of which was filled by an iridescent white stone, just like the one he'd found in the mail and was currently tucked safely away in his pocket. 

"We didn't find the reader at the site, but I thought about how light refracts and-" 

Jack held up a hand stopping the man before he could get too far into his explanation. He had enough of that with Carter. "Reader?" 

"This device. It's basically a UV light board." 

Jack just gave him a look, so Mac leaned forward and pressed a hidden button inside. The black panel lit up under the disk and quiet suddenly there were little holographic images floating in front of them. "Whoa!" 

"This is what I need your help with," Mac told him simply. 

Reaching up, Jack brushed a hand through the floating symbols as if to make sure they were really as harmless as they looked. Much to his surprise they moved with the motion of his hand to the edge of an invisible boundary where they stopped while his hand continued through. He _knew_ there wasn't anything really there, but they reacted to his hand's presence just as if they were. 

"All right," Jack drawled out. "What is it?" 

"I think it's a key," Mac told him, once again that slight grin on his face. 

"A key to what?" 

But MacGyver just shrugged. "I don't know. I'm hoping the writings here, or at the site can tell us. Whatever it is, we need to find out." 

Jack gave him a glare, even as his fingers itched to mess with the symbols one more time. "Why?" 

Returning the glare for a look of incredibility, Mac stated adamantly, "Jack. Men are willing to _kill_ for these disks." 

Scowl darkening, Jack was about to repeat his ever so blunt 'Why?' when Daniel suddenly woke up and seeing the floating holograms sat up. 

"Ah, guys?" 

They turned to the anthropologist and Jack was pleased to see a substantial improvement in the man's face. Daniel's eyes still looked a little out of focus, but more from a need for sleep than from the fever and his skin didn't look so drawn anymore. 

"Daniel-" Jack began, glad to see him awake but wishing the timing had been better. 

The anthropologist wasn't listening. "You, you opened it?" He stammered, trying with little success to get to his feet. A second later, MacGyver was by his side and pulling him up. Daniel barely registered the help; his eyes were completely transfixed on the floating symbols. "What," he tried again but broke off breathless, leaning heavily on the device's frame to keep himself upright. 

Inwardly sighing, Jack exchanged an uncomfortable look with Mac. It was going to be harder and harder to cover things up now. As if in response to his thoughts, he heard a noise coming from down one of the halls. Spinning sharply on his heals Jack had his gun out and aimed a second before the origin of the sounds appeared. 

Sam and Teal'c froze on the spot at the other end of Jack's gun and stared at him with wide eyes. Well, Carter's eyes were wide, Teal'c just stared. Then Carter hesitantly questioned Teal'c with a pained expression. "Is there…?" She couldn't finish. 

Teal'c however understood what she was going to ask and answered, "There are, indeed, two Colonel O'Neills MajorCarter." 

Jack made a face and put his gun away. This just couldn't get any better. "Hey guys, welcome to the party." 

"Sir..s?" Carter awkwardly questioned her confusion plainly evident on her face. 

Jack didn't respond, what could he say? He met her bewildered expression and silently pleaded for her not to ask. Thankfully, Daniel spoke up for him, the rest of SG1's arrival finally diverting his attention from the alien device. "Hey Teal'c, Sam," he greeted tiredly, and then introduced with a hint of sarcasm, "This is MacGyver, Jack's _twin brother_!" 

Sam looked quickly from Jack to Mac and back again. "He looks just like you," she breathlessly commented. 

Mac just grinned laughing at her shock, but Jack pursed his lips and dryly remarked, "Ya think?" 

Blinking, Sam suddenly blushed with embarrassment, only to blink again as she stumbled out, "MacGyver? _The_ MacGyver?" 

Groaning Jack turned away. "Oh, here we go!" He knew this day would come the second he'd heard the word first uttered from her mouth four years ago and had been dreading it ever since. 

Sam didn't even notice his chagrin. Her eyes had gotten even bigger if that were possible, and she stammered, "MacGyver, the man who can fix anything, the guy who can make a bomb with whatever's laying about, who can take ordinary items to make…_anything_!" 

"Yep, that's him," Jack caustically stated, wondering at the pang of jealously that was threatening to rise. She never got excited like that over him. 

Yet Mac looked quite a bit uncomfortable from the praise. "Not anything," he weakly disputed. 

Broadly grinning, and looking so much like she had that first day she'd seen the DHD on Abydos, her first alien planet, Sam practically gushed, "You're legend at the academy and I've heard tones of stories from my professors. I was never really sure you were real, but-" and just as suddenly her grin vanished as she turned once again to Jack. "Colonel, you didn't tell us you had a brother." 

"No one asked!" Jack exclaimed. 

"But..." 

He could easily see her genius mind trying to work out details and realizing they didn't fit. Like the most obvious clue…for twin brothers, MacGyver and O'Neill didn't really sound anything at all alike, and Carter already knew MacGyver wasn't his mother's maiden name. Damn! He didn't think he could get through their quickly made explanation without flubbing it. Not to his team. 

In the meantime, Teal'c had walked up to Mac with a smile and a slight bow, saying very sincerely, "I am please to meet you, MacGyver, brother of O'Neill." 

Mac looked at the big man startled. "Thank you, I think." 

"Sir?" Carter turned to Jack her eyebrows bent in confusion. "How did…I mean, why is…" she wasn't sure quite what to ask first. 

Daniel huffed, answering for them, "Who you found at Jack's house this morning was really MacGyver. Apparently he's hiding from some group, the DXS or something like that." 

"DXS," Carter repeated in surprise. "But why? I know guys in the DXS, and it's a good organization. Why would…"But she trailed off as both MacGyver and the Colonel started fidgeting. 

Daniel noticed it too and eyes narrowing the anthropologist accusingly questioned, "Jack?" 

It was amazing how much power one word could have. Jack just fidgeted that much more, and then exasperated with everything stated, "We can explain things later. We need to get out of here first anyway!" All business now, he turned to the Major and asked, "Carter, how did you guys get down here? Can we get back that way?" 

Sam shook her head, military training responding to his authority although it was clear she was more interested in knowing what was up the same as Daniel. "There's no visible switch to activate the rings and they surface in the middle of a town." 

"Town?" 

Teal'c answered, "It was full of humans posing as jaffa." 

"I'm sorry sir," Carter picked up. "We were trying to get back to the gate when they ambushed us. For a while I thought they planned to burn us at the stake as demons but then they sent us down here instead." 

"They thought you were demons?" Daniel asked with a frown. 

"From the ship," Teal'c clarified. 

Mac had that thoughtful look on his face that said he had an idea. Jack knew it well, and wasn't surprised when the man remarked, "We can probably use that to our advantage." 

"How?" Carter asked confused. 

Not really answering, Mac grinned and replied, "I'll let you know once I've figured it out." 

O'Neill internally sighed with frustration. "In any case, we can still use the-" He broke off suddenly as a gurgling noise was heard echoing down the hall Sam and Teal'c had so recently arrived from. 

Jack had his gun up and ready to shoot, but squinting his eyes all he could see was the image of a large shadow coming down the corridor. The entire group held their breath in anticipation till at last a creature looking something like a cross between a dog and a kangaroo appeared from around the corner. 

The Colonel only waited a minute before taking aim and firing. The first shot hit the creature straight in the chest, but it only gurgled out a sharp cry of pain and spinning fled back the way it had come. Turning to his team Jack immediately demanded, "What the hell was that?!" 

"I believe it was the creature of the Setesh Guard," Teal'c responded with some surprise, even for the jaffa. 

Daniel cringed, "I thought they were fictitious?" He almost sank to the floor again in his exhaustion, but MacGyver quickly had him supported under the arm. 

"Well I freely admit I only understand a fraction of what you're all talking about," MacGyver began with a look of worry in his eyes, "how is it that that thing has been living down here this whole time?" 

Carter shook her head. "It couldn't have, I mean…" she trailed away unable to explain it. 

Then Jack realized something and with a sinking feeling of despair demanded, "Carter, you didn't go into any of the _rooms_, did you?" 

She looked startled, but it was enough of a response to answer the question. Daniel perked up some at that and curiously asked, "What was inside?" 

Teal'c was the one who answered, telling them, "A sarcophagus, but it was sealed." 

Jack couldn't help but groan and he sourly stated, "Well it's not anymore!" 

"A sarcophagus?" Mac asked with a raised eyebrow. "And there was someone _alive_ inside?" 

"Not someone, somewhat," Jack retorted in annoyance. His own injury was making his anger at the whole situation hard to ignore. "A gould snake. And it's loose now and could wake up all the rest of the snake heads in this place." 

"Wait, if they built this place than-" 

But Jack cut Mac off waving a hand at the man and stating emphatically, "No Mac! You don't ask a Gould for help, you kill it!" The man looked ready to argue the point but Jack didn't care. They had to do something and quick. "Carter?" 

"Sir?" 

"Any ideas on the best place to blow this ship up?" Jack asked. 

Carter thought about it for a second before slowly replying, "I think their might be an engine room to the rear of the ship. I'm not sure if we could get any power, but since the goa'uld use a form of crystal energy one large charge from us should be enough to cause a chain reaction. _Should_," she emphasized, sounding a bit unsure of the theory. But Jack knew most of Carter's theories tended to work anyway. 

"Great, lead the way." 

"Jack," Daniel called. "If there's a town above us, we can't just blow the ship up. It would kill everyone." 

But the Colonel just brushed the excuse off. "We'll deal with that when we come to it. I'm not about to let a ship full of snakes out into the universe. Not if we can do something about it." Then he turned to Mac asking, "You think you can get the rings activated again?" 

Shrugging, the man answered simply, "Maybe." To Jack that was as good as a yes. 

"Great. Then let's go, who knows how long we have." The sense of urgency in the air was strong enough to keep everyone quiet as they gathered things up. Jack noticed as Mac grabbed the alien rock from the device and slipped it into his jacket pocket. He wasn't the only one who noticed. Carter obviously wanted to ask about it, but Jack interrupted her, handing her and Teal'c one of the extra guns. 

They put Daniel's rubbings back in the pack to take back with them and soon the party was heading in what they hoped was the correct direction for the engine room. Jack's insides were twisting with apprehension. Either they'd find the engine room and successfully blow the place, or end up new hosts for these once buried goa'ulds. He really hoped it'd turn out to be the former scenario but from here on out there were no guarantees. 


	6. to blow up a ship

Author's Note: Thanks once again for all the wonderful reviews! :D It's amazing how encouraging it is to know people are enjoying themselves reading something I've written. Especially since I know most crossovers tend to lean towards humour and since humour isn't my best front I tend to lean towards the serious. So the very fact that I've got peeps still eager to read each chapter, well, it makes me grin like a dopey idiot! :D 

Author's Note2: This will be my last author's note on Jack and Mac…at least for a while. I realized in the last couple of chapters I've been replying to guesses about the who, what, and why of the whole thing. And I've got to warn you it'll be several chapters before the _full_ truth about their relationship comes out. So from here on out I'm just going to let the story drop all the hints. The only thing I can really do as an author is tell you that a lot of thought went into this story and I tried really hard to make sure it was something scientifically feasible…at least in theory. ;) 

Author's Note3: To Glaivester: Since I've never actually seen "Legend" I'm not sure I'll put a reference in, but I'll keep it in mind while I'm writing. I'll tell ya though, finding out about "Legend" does at least explain a funny fic I once read. :D 

Author's Note4: I got a Dancing Hamster!!! He's decked out in combat gear; carry's a gun I like to pretend is a P90; and dances to the army theme. It'd have been cooler if it was the air force theme or better yet the stargate theme…maybe if I write them a request? *g* His tag has him named as Sgt. Scruffy, but to me he's Jack. :D 

Author's Note5: I got all my 'brakes' replaced, ;) Thanks Suz! :D 

----- 

Sam watched as the Colonel paused at an intersection, first turning one way then changing his mind and leading them down the other. She guessed that the engine room had to be located at the back of the ship from their existent knowledge of goa'uld ships, but even Teal'c had admitted this one was of no design he was familiar with. They were guessing, plain and simple. 

Turning to look at the man she'd thought was her superior all morning, Sam felt a mix of feelings. In the academy she'd heard the legends of MacGyver, but to actually get to meet him, let alone to find out he was related to her CO. Not that that made much sense, she was sure his file had him listed as an only child, but the resemblance was too identical to deny. 

"What?" 

Sam suddenly realized she'd been staring and blushed. Daniel was suspended half off the ground with his arms around Teal'c and MacGyver, but one look at Sam and the anthropologist nearly lost his step. Sam thought she even saw a flicker of a smile on Teal'c's face, but MacGyver on the other hand seemed only more confused. "What?" 

Sam stepped closer, and with a small smile questioned, "You really _are_ MacGyver, right?" 

The man looked down somewhat abashed, but answered lightly, "Last time I checked." 

Unable to stop the grin from spreading across her face Sam finally had to ask, "Did you really smuggle yourself out of Berlin in a coffin, fight off an army of ants, and defuse a missile with only a paper clip?" 

MacGyver gave her a pained expression replying weakly, "Not in that order." 

Daniel and Teal'c were both looking at the man with raised eyebrows but then the Colonel came back and growled out, "He's blown up my house, too. Isn't he all just so _fantastic_!" 

Carter suddenly realized there was a lot more going on unsaid between the Colonel and his twin brother which brought her back to the earlier conversation, but before she could say anything MacGyver, looking hurt, complained, "You know I had no choice Jack." 

"Isn't it you who keeps saying 'you always have a choice?'" The Colonel retorted. 

MacGyver didn't respond, but Teal'c was quick to question, "What purpose would you have in the use of an explosive device in O'Neill's residence?" 

Once again Sam noticed both the Colonel and MacGyver looking somewhat uncomfortable, like they'd been caught in a slip. Certainly, it couldn't have happened anytime soon or they'd have known about it. Then Jack waved a hand at the jaffa, saying amiably, "Never mind T. It's no big. I'm just anxious to get out of here." 

Amazingly, at the next turn they came across a door labeled power in Goa'uld. The door didn't have the usual handle, and stepping up to examine the small control console Sam realized it was a combination pad. Twelve buttons with hieroglyphs like the keypads on the Tel'tac's but never before had she seen them used as a locking mechanism. "Sir, I'm not sure-" she started, surprised when the Colonel just reached over and pressed a few of the bottoms seemingly at random. Smirking at his usual impatient tendencies to fiddle with things, Sam was about to tell him they'd have to reroute power to a different control consul to go around the lock when suddenly the door clicked and on old tracks slowly slid open. 

"How..?" 

The Colonel grinned at her. "It only works once, so come on. And T see if you can keep this door from closing, would you?" 

Another surge of questions bubbled up inside her, but the Colonel was already taking Teal'c's spot in holding Daniel up and together with MacGyver they moved inside. Obediently, Teal'c took up position inside the doorway where sensors would keep it from closing, and Sam, looking up at the jaffa's unreadable face questioned, "Is it just me or has the Colonel been acting kind of strange since his brother showed up?" 

"Indeed." 

With a sigh, Sam realized there were too many questions right now and not enough time to ask them. Later, she promised herself, she would find out what was really going on. She'd never even asked about the alien device Daniel and the others had been looking at before. And right now, with Daniel looking half dead on his feet and the Colonel and his twin acting so oddly, she knew now wasn't the time. It'd all come out in the briefing when they got back anyway. 

Walking to room revealed exactly what they had been looking for. There was even a rhythm of power going through the center power generator. Daniel had been parked just inside the door while the Colonel and MacGyver examined the controls. 

Approaching them, Sam felt her stomach flutter again in anticipation. She knew it was silly, but she'd heard so many things about MacGyver's skills, and here she might actually get to see them. Then again, she could macgyver better than anyone in her class, and felt obliged to suggest, "Sir, with the generator running we could cause an overcharge in the system that would start a chain reaction that I think would take out the whole ship." 

O'Neill just gave her a pained look and asked plaintively, "Can't we just use the C4?" 

Sam blinked. "That would work, too." 

Beside her MacGyver softly chuckled, then asked, "This is a ship right? Is there anyway way for us to fly it?" 

"Goa'uld ships use a electromagnetic field to suspend themselves above the ground, and the naquadah reactors create a-" 

The Colonel cut her off saying, "I think what he's asking is, is there a way to turn the thrusters on?" 

Frowning, Sam replied, "Goa'uld ships don't actually use thrusters, sir, but yes, I suppose, but they're not designed to operate in any kind of atmosphere other than space." She couldn't for the life of her understand what turning on the engines would do, it couldn't get them out of the ground, and didn't the Colonel intend to blow the ship anyway? 

Yet MacGyver had a glint in his eye and insistently asked her, "But we can turn on this electromagnet field, right?" 

"Yes. But it can't get us out of the ground, all it will do is-" 

"Cause an earthquake. Which is exactly what we want." MacGyver was full out grinning now which only confused Sam even more till he reminded her, "We're supposed to be demons down here. We might as well give them what they expect." 

Now Carter understood and she immediately went to the console even as the Colonel began setting the C4 explosives. "I'll have to seal off controls to prevent the goa'uld from turning the suspension field off," Sam told them working quickly. "Once it's set there won't be a way to turn it off." 

"Hopefully we won't need to," MacGyver remarked with a smile. 

O'Neill came back from around the generator saying half under his breath, "Hope will have nothing to do with it." 

There was the sudden sound of gunfire from the door and Teal'c called back to them, "More goa'uld have been awaken." 

"Stay there Teal'c!" Jack called back. "Carter? We gotta go." 

"Almost done, sir." She fit the last crystal into place and felt the ship give out a small tremor. It wasn't bad now, but that would change as the pressure on the ground around them increased. 

"Great, lets go," Jack stated almost pulling her by the elbow as they rushed back for the door. 

With the commotion of the gunfire Daniel was trying to get back to his feet and asked as they approached, "Are we really blowing the ship up?" 

"Blowing the ship, making our own earthquake, hell if everything goes well we might even take out this entire planet," Jack exaggerated sarcastically, but Sam had an suspicion he was only half joking. 

She joined Teal'c by the door to see four of the kangaroo dog like creatures at the other end of the hallway along with one slug like oversized rabbit. Certainly not creatures that ever existed on Earth, that was for sure. She added her own shots to Teal'c's and while the creatures stayed out in the corridor, the bullets didn't seem to be having any kind of lasting effect. 

"Sir, bullets aren't strong enough." 

"Mac, give her a grenade," The Colonel ordered as they pulled Daniel up between them. MacGyver tossed one over and Sam wasted no time in pulling the pin and rolling it down the hall, but it didn't go off. 

"Sir?" 

"Oh for crying out loud! I am not becoming a snake head today!" The Colonel stated adamantly. He ducked out from under Daniel's arm and grabbing the zat from MacGyver's belt pushed past Carter and Teal'c and ran out into the hall. 

"Sir!" Sam called out alarmed to see her CO suddenly so reckless, but it was too late. He was already charging headlong down the corridor firing the whole time. For a brief moment she saw all the creatures lunging at him, closing off the way back, but in the next moment the light of energy filled the hall till at last every one of them was dead and disintegrated. 

"He never said it did that," an amused voice commented from behind her. Sam looked briefly at MacGyver but with a pang of worry looked back to see the Colonel slowly walking back to them thankfully uninjured. 

"Come on slowpokes, let's go!" 

***** 

Daniel tried to keep his eyes open, but it was getting harder and harder with every hopping step. Either he'd been given more morphine, or his body was starting to shut down on him. He didn't remember getting another shot of meds, so he had to assume it was the latter. Not something he was supposed to do without Janet's expressed permission. 

"Jack." 

"What is it?" 

It took Daniel a moment to realize Jack _wasn't_ the person helping him along. That just made the exhaustion that much worse. "Leave me." 

"Daniel, we are not doing this." 

But Daniel knew he was holding them back. His whole body was shaking he was that exhausted. Then the other Jack next to him said, "I think his fever's back. How long before the C4 goes?" 

"Long enough." 

Beside them Teal'c rumbled out, "This ship might not withstand this continued amount of shaking for much longer." 

Daniel tried to look up at him confused. The ship was shaking? He thought it was just him. Then the other Jack replied, "He's got a point. Are we almost there?" 

Sam was the one in the lead as the group ran down the hallways, pausing at each intersection only long enough to check for more goa'ulds. "It's just up ahead. I think." 

"You think?" Jack demanded. 

"It was a little dark, sir," Carter dryly replied, but the next junction led to the circular room that housed one set of transport rings and two large logs. It was a much smaller room than the one he and the two Jacks came down from. Gratefully it also meant if the switch for the rings was operational all they needed was to hit it and there'd be enough time to get inside them before they went up. Which was good, because he only had the one shoelace left. 

As soon as they entered the little room Teal'c went to pull the logs from the room while one of the Jacks helped Daniel to sit down against the wall. Breathing out an extended sigh of relief, Daniel let his eyes drift close as the rest of him tried to find a more comfortable position. 

To the anthropologist only a second passed, but when he opened his eyes again the logs were gone, Teal'c was standing guard at the entrance, Jack and Sam had a panel off the wall, and the other Jack was busy emptying their grenades of their explosive powder in a circle on the ground. 

Daniel frowned. "Jack, what are you doing?" 

The Jack with the grenades looked up and over at him, his face creasing deeply with worry. "Just making some fireworks. How you holding up?" 

"It is the _ship_ shaking, right?" Daniel asked not completely sure, but the vibrations that reverberated through his body felt more external now that he was sitting. 

"Yes, Daniel, the ship is shaking," Jack replied and then turned to the other Jack. "Mac, you ready to go?" 

"Ya," The other Jack answer. He and Sam were bent over the exposed wall conversing quietly, but they stepped away from it now joining Jack in the center of the room. "This one wasn't tampered with like the other one, works just fine." 

"Great. Then let's do this." 

Sam walked over to Daniel, crouching down next to him with an encouraging smile as they watched both Jacks. One pulled the pin from the last remaining grenade and placed it in the middle of the circle of powder while the other hit the switch in the wall to activate the rings. The grenades went upstairs while a thin circle of sand from the ground above appeared in front of them. 

Silently everyone waited. Then Daniel saw Jack open his mouth to say something right as the sound of a large explosion echoed back down, showering them all with dirt and even breaking a corner of the room's ceiling. 

After that the shaking of the ship became drastically worse making Daniel a little more nervous as the waving of his stomach timed itself to the waving of the ground. "Ah, Jack?" 

At the same time Teal'c began firing into the hallway. "O'Neill, there are several more goa'uld approaching." 

"All right kids, time to go!" Jack called out. 

Daniel groaned as Sam helped him back to his feet which was made harder by the unsteady ground. Daniel wasn't sure what was better, having to run again or simply staying here till the ship blew. 

Teal'c closed the door to the room and zated the switch. It wouldn't keep the door closed forever, but hopefully long enough. 

"Sir, what if the explosion didn't scare off the natives?" Sam asked as they all crowded into the center of the room. 

"We have a fifty fifty chance it did Carter. Think positive." 

But the other Jack seemed to become dismayed at those words and as they disappeared in the blue of the transporter Daniel distinctly heard him groan out, "Aww man! You jinxed it!" 

No sooner had they surfaced than they were being fired upon. Daniel didn't have a clear vision of everything that was happening, but they somehow made it to an overturned wagon without injury. Well, without any new injury. The jarring on his leg made Daniel cry out at one point and while his friends fired back Daniel concentrated on regaining proper control over his breathing. His leg was long past the throbbing stages and well advanced into the sharp numbing sensations that spiked with even the slightest movement. 

Gripping it as if he could squeeze out the pain, Daniel finally felt he had a bit more control and took his first good look around. The city was for the most part made of wood. Several of the buildings looked somewhat singed at the edges, probably from the grenade powder going off, but as far as he could tell the city was devoid of anyone but the people firing upon them. 

It was the human's posing as jaffa that Sam had told them about. They were using staff weapons and yelling out something about demons, or at least that's Daniel thought they were talking about. Yet they were still maintaining their distance, probably out of fear. One of them in particular, and older man, was yelling at the rest as if encouraging them to get closer, but even at that distance a couple of the shots came close and all it would really take was for one to be dead on. 

Then Daniel noticed as Jack slunk back away from the group and skimming around the edge of the field headed for the backside of one of the buildings. "Wonder where he's going," Daniel murmured confused. 

The rest looked at him, and then followed Daniel's line of sight. The other Jack let out a large groan. "Oh for crying out loud, why does that man have to do everything the hard way?!" 

"Sir?" Carter asked, but they could soon see what Jack was up to as he scaled the building and crept across the roof till he was just above the native in charge. In the next moment Jack had jumped from the roof landing on the old man and causing a complete uproar among the rest of the jaffa, or were they humans? 

"Come on," Jack growled out as he and Teal'c dashed forward to assist the other Jack. Sam and Daniel followed a few seconds later, and by the time he'd managed to hobble his way over the situation had resulted in a stalemate with the natives unsure what to do while their leader was held hostage. Yet the old man was screaming orders at them that didn't take an anthropologist to interpret. 

Scrunching his face as he listened Daniel thought he could make out most of what they were saying, but the dialect was really throwing him off. Then Jack was ordering him, "Daniel, tell them this place is going to explode any minute now." 

Daniel tried, but he was sure it was coming out right. Forcing his fuzzy mind to work he changed his tactics and waving a hand in the air screamed at them that the land was cursed, to get away, and that more demons would come if they didn't. 

The natives quieted, but then their leader squirming in Jack's arms yelled to Daniel something about demons being locked in the earth. Daniel replied simply that the earth was angry. Why else would it shake so? Stay and they would be swallowed up. 

That seemed to do the trick and the rest of the natives backed up a pace in fear. The old man stopped yelling, looking around him and down at the ground as if it would open up right then. Which it might, Daniel realized. Then Jack let the man go and he took a few steps away as if still unsure whether to take flight or fight. The other Jack fired his gun at their feet and the natives finally took off in a quick retreat. 

"Good work," Jack told Daniel with a pat on his shoulder. Watching the natives flee Jack stated, "We better get going ourselves before we get caught in the blast." 


	7. debriefing

Author's Note: This might be my last chapter till the New Year. The editing might not be the best either as I'm rushing through it so I can get it posted before we leave. :P But in any case, I'm off to catch a bus for my 20 hour bus ride to the desert. I'll take the story with me just in case, but no guarantees. So, Happy Holidays everyone! :D 

Author's Note2: Ask and ye shall receive. It just so happens I had written a scene from Teal'c's perspective, and it's in this chapter. It wasn't easy, I'll tell ya that! But I do very much love Teal'c's subtle dry wit. 

SF – Special Forces, or Security Forces. I've only ever heard them called SF's on the show, so it could be either. *shrug* 

----- 

They were no more than a couple feet from the little city when the ship exploded. The ground creaked and groaned and then with a violent shudder threw everyone to the ground. A couple seconds later an explosion erupted filling the air with a roar that drowned out every other bit of sound like a vast black blanket. All Sam was aware of was a dark mass rising above her. Instinctually she tried to cover Daniel as much as possible even while she felt someone else leaning over her. 

When the ground settled again and the sound of the explosion faded, Sam could once again hear the heavy gasping of her own breath, along with everyone else's, but for the longest time they were like echoes in her head. She looked up to see that every tree around them was completely uprooted and bent forward away from the blast. A thick layer of dust hung in the air and there was at least an inch of dirt plastered on everyone. By some miracle alone they had all managed to escape the disaster in one piece. 

Spitting dirt from her mouth Sam looked up at the Colonel, or who she assumed was the Colonel. The man had been leaning over her and was now sitting up rubbing the dirt from his face as he asked, "You okay?" 

Nodding, Sam turned to see how Daniel was, but he only elicited a groan at her touch. Alarmed she checked for a pulse finding it strong, but the extra stress to his body had proved too much. "Sir, Daniel's unconscious. We need to get him back, fast." 

"And we will Carter, we will." Everyone else was getting slowly to their feet brushing themselves off. Looking back revealed nothing more than mounds of torn up dirt intermixed with bits of ruined buildings for a radius of at least a mile. The ruins they'd come to explore where completely nonexistent now with only an uneven crater in their place. They'd been lucky the native's city was at the edge of the buried ship or there'd have been nothing left of them, either. 

"Wow," Sam murmured in awe as she stared out at the amount of mass destruction. 

Teal'c looked over her shoulder in equal wonderment and commented quietly, "You may repeat that." 

MacGyver gave the man a funny look, and then vigorously brushing the dirt from his hair asked, "Repeat that? Do you mean 'you can say that again?'" 

"Indeed." 

Smirking somewhat at the jaffa's dry humor Carter checked Daniel over glad to see the bandage was still firmly in place. Janet would kill them if the wound got even more infected than it probably already was. "I think it's safe to move Daniel," She told the Colonel. 

"Great," O'Neill responded. "The sooner we can get to the gate, the sooner you guys can get going." 

Sam looked up at him startled. "You're not coming with us, sir?" 

"No Carter, I'm not." 

"With all due respect, sir, the General is going to want to-" But she stopped short as something occurred to her that should have the second she and Teal'c had found the Colonel and his _twin_ here, together. "Sir? Does the General know about your brother?" 

The identical men gave each other a look that only reaffirmed to Sam that they were hiding something. She'd just assumed that after the Colonel had realized the mix-up the General had sent him here to fetch them, but as she thought about it she knew the General wouldn't have sent him alone. 

"No," O'Neill finally admitted but very much like someone in trouble and not wanting to admit to the whole crime. 

"Then how did you get here?" 

The Colonel looked around at the devastated site, the settling cloud of dust, anywhere but at her as he replied quietly, "I sort of snuck through the gate." 

Sam couldn't believe what she was hearing and opened her mouth to ask _how_ when Teal'c inserted, "DanielJackson mentioned that your brother is hiding. Would not the SGC be able to provide sufficient protection?" 

"Teal'c has a good point, sir" Sam quickly added, having never really believed that MacGyver could be hiding from the DXS. Near every DXS agent she knew revered the famous MacGyver. That was where half her stories came from. 

"It's a little more complicated than that," MacGyver told them, but looking just as unwilling to explain as the Colonel. 

"Look, Carter," O'Neill stated, "I promise we'll explain everything later, but right now I need you guys to trust me on this one. This is a matter of utmost secrecy. No one, not even the General can know that Mac and I are related which means I need your help to convince them that Mac _is_ me when you guys go back." 

But before she could say anything MacGyver interrupted exclaiming, "Whoa, wait! You want me to pretend to be you? I think we've already established I'm not very good at that." 

"Come on Mac. You've pretended to be tones of people before," Jack argued. 

"Ya, all of whom didn't really exist!" Mac insisted. 

Smirking, Jack told him confidently, "You'll do fine. And if not, the rest will happen on its own." Sam didn't understand that last comment, but then the Colonel was turning pleading eyes back on them again. "So what do you say? Carter? Teal'c? Will you help us out?" 

Teal'c's response wasn't immediate, but it was sure. "I will do as you ask O'Neill." 

Carter wasn't so ready to commit to this unexpected violation of regulations. The idea of purposely withholding information from the General like this went against everything she'd been taught. The Colonel seemed to understand her dilemma and asked her, "How about if I order you to help MacGyver impersonate me?" 

That felt better, but…"And you promise you'll explain what's _really_ going on when we all get back?" 

He crossed his heart and grinned. Internally Sam sighed knowing she'd do it, and knowing he knew she would, too. "You know Janet's going to notice MacGyver's not you during our physicals anyway." 

"No she won't," Jack stated confidently. 

"Sir, you have a scar on your neck that I know she'll notice isn't there anymore," Sam insisted, but she wasn't all that sure anymore as the Major suddenly realized MacGyver had already gone through one physical_ as_ Jack. 

And then MacGyver questioned curiously, "Scar? About an inch or so long, goes right up and down the vertebra?" 

Carter regarded the man with surprise but she noticed the Colonel wasn't shocked in the slightest as he casually asked, "How did you get that?" 

"Sam and I were out hiking in the Alps a few years ago when I slipped on some mud and hit my neck on a sharp rock." 

The Colonel looked at him incredulous. "Slipped on some mud?" MacGyver just shrugged but the Major was beside herself with disbelief. 

"You hit your neck on a rock hard enough to cut it but not break it?" Sam demanded of MacGyver. He didn't answer so she turned to the Colonel exclaiming, "Sir, the chance of both you and your brother getting the same scar let alone around the same time just isn't possible!" 

Groaning audibly, Jack begged her, "Just leave it alone Carter! We'll tell you everything later, but right now Daniel has to get home, so please, will you just trust me?" 

Biting her lip Sam was torn between forcing the answers out now, and the urgency of getting Daniel back and into proper medical care. It only took a moment for her to make up her mind, but before this was over she was determined she was going to find out what was _really_ going on! 

***** 

MacGyver stepped from the mass of blue that was the wormhole and shuddered. The cold faded quickly, but it was still disconcerting to think he'd been broken down, flown across millions of light years of space and put back together again. What if they got something wrong? 

Ahead of him Carter and Teal'c had been carrying Dr. Jackson's limp body, and even now he was being transferred to a gurney as the resident medical team took over. The General was standing at the end of the ramp watching the procession as keenly as the rest of SG1. 

The act had to begin now, Mac knew, so he might as well get used to it. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves Mac approached Hammond. "Colonel what happened?" The General immediately questioned. 

"The planet wasn't as empty as we thought it was, sir," Mac responded just as Jack had coached him. The group had spent the time walking back to the gate coming up with a common story for their reports, figuring out a plan for smuggling the_ real_ Jack back to Earth undetected, and teaching Mac how to _be_ Jack O'Neill. 

The General considered what Mac said, then with grim resignation stated, "Colonel, something strange happened here while SG1 was away." 

"Sir?" Mac asked sounding as confused and curious as possible. 

"I received a phone call from a man claiming to be Jack O'Neill." 

Teal'c and Carter stepped up next to Mac as the gurney with Daniel left for the infirmary. "Someone's trying to impersonate the Colonel?" Carter asked, sounding surprised, but she still gave MacGyver a brief nervous glance. Hopefully the General hadn't noticed. 

"Possibly Major, but in any case I want you all to report to Dr. Frasier for a _complete_ checkup," and his tone said it would be as complete as the doctor could make it. 

"Yes, sir," Mac and the Major replied while Teal'c simply nodded his head in compliance. The General left them then, but Mac was quick to notice that three SF's fell into place behind them to become their constant shadows. 

Boy, wasn't this going to be fun! 

***** 

Doctor Janet Frasier was hesitant to cross her infirmary to where the rest of SG1 was waiting. It'd been a busy day, and while most of it hadn't concerned her General Hammond had confided in her his fears that the SGC's flagship team, and personally her favorite of the lot, was compromised. 

And he'd put it up to her to find out. 

"Ma'am, Dr. Jackson's fever has dropped to 101," A nurse said walking up to her. They'd just spent the last half hour cleaning Daniel's wound of the infection that had developed. It wasn't too serious, but that could have been different without the proper antibiotics. Wasn't that always the case when SG1 came back from a mission? Janet wondered to herself. After a moment she realized the nurse was still there and responded crisply, "Good. Let's keep an eye on it just in case. And let me know when he wakes up." 

The nurse nodded and left, leaving Janet alone with her disturbed thoughts once again. Then with a sigh she realized she'd still have to do her job no matter how long she stood there, just like any other day. Striding across the infirmary she could see where the Colonel, the Major, and Teal'c sat waiting on the beds. The three SF's in escort gratefully stayed by the door of the infirmary but continued to keep watchful eyes on their charges. Janet noticed as the Colonel glanced at them, but neither he nor anyone else from SG1 said anything. 

"Welcome back guys," Janet greeted with a forced smile. 

They all looked at her and the Colonel was the first to ask, "How's Daniel?" 

Oddly, the worry in their eyes did much to reassure Janet's fears that this wasn't really SG1. "He'll be fine. A week's bed rest and a pot of coffee, in that order, and I'm sure he'll be back to his usual self." The relief in their eyes brought about a genuine smile, and feeling much more confident Janet began the usual examinations. 

Normally she'd have had nurses help, but Hammond had been strict in his instructions that she do it all herself personally. At least the wait had given them a chance to shower and change. "So," she asked conversationally as she first checked the Colonel over, "what happened?" 

"I'm sorry?" 

Frasier paused, briefly looking into his open and curious brown eyes. "On the planet?" She clarified as she felt around his throat and neck as usual, but the small seeds of doubt had already replanted themselves in her mind. 

"Oh, you know. The usual. We went, we saw, the natives got restless, we came home," O'Neill replied with a shrug. 

No new scars, no signs of puncture wounds, a couple scratches but nothing really of any significant importance. She asked him to open his mouth and checked the inside of the throat finding once again nothing. Still, one of the perks of doing their post mission checkups was getting the stories ahead of time only for once no one was saying anything, and that was quite unlike SG1. 

"I'm going to need to take some blood," Janet told him. 

Sam looked suddenly quite nervous and asked, "Is that really necessary Janet?" 

Before Janet had to tell them it was the Colonel replied with a smile, "It's all right Major. I don't mind." 

Janet had to admit, she was surprised. Forcing her suspicions down, Janet commented with a forced grin, "It's nice to have a cooperative patient for once." But all he did was smile at her; a warm smile that was usually a rarity for Jack O'Neill. 

It was another twenty minutes before Janet finished the checkups on Sam and Teal'c. No one really said anything, but Sam kept shifting with nervous energy. Something had her worried and Janet was almost afraid to find out what it was. She took blood samples from all of them. It was good practice if just to check for alien components, although that wasn't the main reason, and everyone here knew it. Still, they kept things casual, and when she was done SG1 went their own way with their SF escorts in tow. 

It'd be another thirty minutes before the DNA samples from the blood could be compared to what they had on file. It was while Janet sat her desk with all four files of the members of SG1 laid out in front of her that she finally felt she could give a sigh of relief. Gathering them up again the Doctor went in search of the General. 

"Well?" Hammond asked getting right to it as she closed the door of his office behind her. 

"As far as their DNA and physical makeup is concerned, they are SG1." 

"Could there be a margin of error Doctor?" Hammond asked, still prepared to hear the worst. 

"No, sir. I don't think so. They were an exact match, and the blood work came back clean." Yet there was the way they'd been acting. 

Seeing her look of hesitation the General put out suggestively, "But?" 

"But they are hiding something, sir. I don't know what, but I'm sure Sam was nervous about something. And the Colonel, well…" 

"What about the Colonel?" 

Janet hesitated but then finally told him, "It's just that I've never seen him so relaxed before, sir." 

The General's eyebrow shot up in such a way that Janet had to wonder if he'd picked that up from Teal'c. Janet realized being too relaxed wasn't exactly evidence of a conspiracy and wondered briefly if they were overreacting. "This morning he did sleep in, and Sam did mention he'd had some disturbing news the night before, maybe while they were off planet the Colonel was able to get whatever was bothering him off his chest?" Janet suggested with a smile. 

It was certainly much easier to except that kind of explanation than to think there was something seriously wrong with SG1, and Frasier knew Sam well enough to know that the Major had a tendency to reflect some of the Colonel's emotions. 

The General was considering the possible explanation as well, and finally nodding told her, "Perhaps. If it wasn't for that phone call and then having someone break into the SGC I would have put it down to them needing some time off, and while the two cases may not be related, we need to be sure. How is Dr. Jackson doing?" 

She'd already given him the initial report while waiting for the blood work to be done. Smiling, she told him, "The antibiotics are doing their job, his temperature is back to normal and he should wake up by tomorrow morning at the latest." 

The General smiled with relief. As Janet knew, far too often SGC personal didn't get so lucky, and it was always nice to hear when someone would make it no matter what the injury. 

***** 

Teal'c watched as MajorCarter nervously played with her pen. It had been almost two hours since their return to Earth and Hammond had finally called SG1 to their post mission briefing. As yet, the team hadn't had a chance to talk privately and while that didn't bother the jaffa MajorCarter constantly looked on the verge of saying something. 

It was true there were many questions to be asked. O'Neill's brother MacGyver was a very different man than O'Neill and the circumstances of his arrival peculiar. But MacGyver was O'Neill's family, and to the jaffa family was the most important thing there was. Teal'c would do anything to protect O'Neill, he could do no less to protect O'Neill's family, and if that meant lying to the General then that was what had to be done. Lying wasn't exactly a new art to the jaffa, he'd spent half his life covering up his true feelings for Apophis after all. 

Perhaps MajorCarter has never had to lie before, Teal'c silently mused. MacGyver also played with his pen, but he was slouched back in his chair completely at ease, almost a complete opposite of MajorCarter sitting across the table from him. Teal'c stood up and walked over to the coffee urn. He'd been told repeatedly that coffee was a stimulant, but from his observations of his teammates, they were far more relaxed with it than without. Especially DanielJackson. 

The General walked in right as Teal'c handed MajorCarter a cup. She stood up straighter in attention but the General had a tendency to forego most formal actions around the SGC and waved for them to be 'at ease.' Sam relaxed, immediately turning to her cup of coffee and gratefully downing at least half of it in one breath. 

Teal'c's lips flickered briefly into a smile as he filled it back up again and then filled a second cup for MacGyver. "O'Neill, would you like some coffee?" 

"No thanks Teal'c, I don't-" 

"O'Neill," Teal'c interrupted the man and calmly repeated, "would you like some coffee?" 

MacGyver looked up at him surprised at first, but then quickly replied, "Why yes Teal'c, I would _love_ some coffee, thank you." 

The jaffa smiled and nodding handed him a cup. "General?" 

"That's all right Teal'c. If we can I'd like to get this briefing underway," the General replied opening his folder. 

Teal'c took his seat next to Carter, who had already half emptied her cup again, but as he'd suspected would happen she was looking far calmer than before. MacGyver on the other hand took but a sip and placing it away from him turned his complete attention onto the General. 

The General was regarding them all with no small measure of thought, but with a sigh began, "First things first. As you know Dr. Frasier says Dr. Jackson will make a full recovery. Now. I want to know what happened on P5X-239." 

They took their turns explaining the events from the mission trading off to explain the different aspects of what 'happened.' They told him about the ruins, the old goa'uld dialect, the attack which resulted in the collapse of the passageway and DanielJackson's injury, and of the strange residents of P5X-239. 

"Were they jaffa?" The General asked. 

"They were not," Teal'c told him. "They were merely posing as jaffa. Their symbol of allegiance was also not one I recognize." 

Then Carter added, "We're hoping Daniel will recognize it." 

The General had a thoughtful look on his face, one Teal'c had seen the General wear whenever he was sorting facts in his mind. And then the General asked, "If they all had the tattoo on their foreheads then how did you know they weren't jaffa?" 

"Because neither Teal'c nor I could sense the presence of any goa'uld symbiotes inside any of them-" Carter told him. 

There was a sudden shift of movement in the corner of Teal'c's eyes and he turned to see that MacGyver had knocked over his cup of coffee. "Sorry," the man murmured to the group and standing looked around for something to clean it up with. 

Reaching behind him Teal'c pulled out the paper towels from under the desk the coffee urn stood upon and handed them over to the man. Grateful MacGyver smiled then hurriedly cleaning up the mess apologized again. "Sorry about that. Just keep going, I'll have this cleaned in a second." 

Both MajorCarter and the General were giving MacGyver looks Teal'c couldn't interpret, but after a moment MajorCarter slowly picked up where she left off. "We also got a good look at their stomachs later on and that confirmed that they were in fact human." 

The atmosphere of the briefing wasn't quite the same after that. MacGyver finished cleaning up the coffee mess and settled back into his seat as casually as if it hadn't happened, but MajorCarter kept giving the man nervous looks. Something the General was noticing, Teal'c was sure, but Hammond didn't make any comments other than the occasional question about the mission. 

They told him the rest, the discovery of the ship, the rooms of sarcophaguses, the goa'ulds, and the device at the ship's center. MacGyver pulled it out of his pocket and handed it over to the General. 

Turning the smooth transparent disk over in his hands, the General handed it back and questioned, "What is it?" 

MacGyver just shrugged, although Teal'c distinctly remembered the object giving off several holographic symbols before. Then Carter told Hammond, "We're not sure, General, but it could be an information device of some sort. With blowing up the ship we might never know." 

"The rubbings I took of the device might tell us more," MacGyver added, earning him another peculiar look from the group. 

The General leaned back. "Dr. Jackson will be on light duty for at least a week so for now I'd like SG1 to concentrate on seeing what they can find out about the device and the occupants of P5X-239." 

"Sir, if I can ask," MacGyver said before the General could dismiss them. "What happened while we were gone?" 

Teal'c raised an eyebrow as he looked at the General. The jaffa could see now the tired lines around Hammond's eyes. Sometimes it was rather hard to tell time at the SGC and the jaffa had long since started using other means of indications of late and early. Right now, it was rather late. 

"I told you already about the strange phone call earlier today. We checked your place," he paused as if asking for MacGyver's forgiveness. MacGyver of course nodded, giving it, but then, it wasn't really his place. Then the General continued, telling them grimly, "We didn't find anything, but not too long after we had a break in." 

"What did they take?" MacGyver quickly asked. 

"It wasn't that kind of break in," the General told him, and with a sigh said, "As far as we can tell they broke in to use the gate, but we're not sure where to." 

Teal'c calmly asked, "For what reason would someone do such a thing?" 

Before the General could respond MajorCarter asked, if a bit hurriedly, "Could it have been NID? We know they've tried establishing a rouge operation off world before." 

"It's a possibility, Major," the General agreed. Then he opened his mouth to say something more but the door to the briefing room opened and an Airman entered. 

"I'm sorry sir, but NORAD is on the phone. It seems our cameras weren't the only ones affected by the virus. The whole mountain is in a blackout." 

Teal'c felt a pain of sympathy for the General. It was now _very_ late. 

"Virus?" Carter asked. 

"Something our unscheduled guest left behind," Hammond told her. "I'll be right there," he told the Airman, and then turning back to SG1 said, "I expect full reports on my desk by tomorrow afternoon. And until our security problem is resolved, I'm requesting that no one leave the base." 

"Yes, sir." They all stood up ready to leave but then MacGyver quickly asked, "General, sir? Do we still need our…shadows?" He looked very pointedly at the SF's stationed at the door. 

The General hesitated, thinking, but then said, "No, I don't think so. But you understand why it was necessary?" 

"Of course, sir," MacGyver promptly replied smiling. Not the thin smile O'Neill would have given, but the fully trusting smile Teal'c was noticing MacGyver was partial to. That gave the General pause for a moment, but then he dismissed them and left. 

When SG1, minus their escort, were finally alone in an elevator together, MajorCarter let out a shuddering breath. "I can't believe we just did that." 

"What?" MacGyver asked as if he really didn't know. 

"Lied to the General like that!" Sam hissed at him under her breath. 

MacGyver just smiled broadly saying in encouragement, "You did fine, Sam." 

"Carter," MajorCarter corrected. 

"What?" 

"You're supposed to call me Carter." 

O'Neill's brother looked at her slightly perplexed so Teal'c added, "She is correct. Colonel O'Neill calls MajorCarter Carter except during times of distraction, affection, or great distress." 

They both turned to him with wide eyes. Teal'c returned their stares calmly. Then as the elevator stopped and the doors opened he stepped out into the halls. Sam and MacGyver were quick to follow and they headed for the infirmary to check on Daniel. 

"There's still something-" MacGyver began but broke off as a couple people appeared in the hall. When they had passed them by he tried again but barely got a word out before more people showed up. Finally, he just opened the door to one of storage rooms and gestured them inside. 

"Okay," MacGyver said to them as soon as the door was closed. "We need to figure out what we're going to do when Jackson-" 

"Daniel," MajorCarter corrected again. 

"What?" 

"The Colonel calls him Daniel." 

MacGyver made a face. "Why is he Daniel but you're Carter?" 

"Because Daniel's a civilian." 

Nodding his head in understanding MacGyver then pointed to Teal'c. "And you're Teal'c because you're a…," he took a deep breath as if he was still trying to accept it. "An alien?" 

"That is correct," Teal'c replied his lips twitching ever so briefly with humor. Only on Earth was it so strange for the jaffa to not be known. In turn, only on Earth had the jaffa encountered such strange humans. 

"You know, you look pretty human to me," MacGyver stated. 

Teal'c pulled up his shirt and contracted the muscles that would open his pouch. In response the young goa'uld symbiote poked its head out with a cry of annoyance. MacGyver's reaction was as satisfactory to the jaffa as it was predictable as the man quite suddenly backed up into the shelves behind him. 

"What the hell is that?" 

"An infant goa'uld." 

"Get it outta there!" 

Teal'c coaxed the goa'uld back into the pouch and pulled his shirt down. "I cannot." 

Then MajorCarter explained, "The goa'uld act as the jaffa's immune system until the symbiote matures." 

MacGyver calmed down some as he guessed, "And when it matures it takes over a host?" They nodded, but he shuddered from head to toe. "So are you telling me that that thing in your gut is the same kind of thing that was in the kamikaze kangaroo creatures?" Again they nodded and again he shuddered. "So how many of them are there?" 

"This was the first Setie we have come across." 

"No, I mean the snakes." 

"The Goa'uld control a large portion of this galaxy," Teal'c told him solemnly. 

"That explains why Jack's here," MacGyver grumbled. 

Then before they could say anything the door opened and DoctorFrasier walked in surprised to see them all there. 

"Ah, hi Janet," Sam greeted hesitantly. 

"What going on?" the Doctor questioned frowning with worry. 

MacGyver smiled at the woman. "We ran out of paper and needed to get some more." 

"From a medical storage room?" 

They all looked around as if for the first time. "Good point." 

DoctorFrasier opened her mouth to question them further but the PA came to life calling her to the infirmary. 

"Is there anyone else there other than Daniel?" MajorCarter quickly asked. 

"No," DoctorFrasier responded still regarding them with suspicion. "And I'm sure there's nothing wrong so it probably means he's woken up early." 

The rest of SG1 exchanged looks then silently followed after DoctorFrasier. 


	8. who is Dexter Fillmore?

Author's Note: The trip was great! I got a cold at the end of it and came back home to several feet of snow, but all's good. Thanks for the well wishes, and I hope everyone had a good holiday season too. Because you've all been so nice and patient here's the longest chapter I've written for this story yet. And, as it seems, the last chapter for 2003. :D Sadly, I didn't have much time to write while I was out, so I'm regressing to my only one chapter a week plan and will goal for two a week whenever possible. 

Author's Note2: My Stargate/MacGyver moment!!! :D While I was off in the desert I went and saw the movie Paycheck (good movie btw) with some friends. What does this have to do with Stargate or MacGyver? Well, one of the previews for the movie was for a movie called…er…okay I can't remember what it was called but it's a remake of an old black and white and something about an invasion or the end of the world…and they used the Stargate soundtrack for the preview!! I recognized it immediately. Then, during Paycheck the main character has to MacGyver an electrical box. The second he pulled the paperclip out my friend and I were doubled over laughing. Personally…I'm beginning to think this movie was a sign. :P 

Author's Note3: I just want to thank everyone for the comments and reviews such far. And I assure you, I will finish this. Also, to Starre and others, when I do finish this story I'll put a big long Author's Note at the end explaining just how and where the idea for the story came and developed. Savy? :D 

Author's Note4: Lots of major changes in this chapter due to one gigantic plot hole!! :P 

Dexter Fillmore – An alias MacGyver has used on more than one occasion. Generally portrayed as a computer nerd. 

HIT – Homicide International Trust. An international assassination group MacGyver helped to bring down. 

Dolly – the first ever successfully cloned sheep. Although, she only lived a few years, passed away last Valentines Day. :( 

Mercalli Intensity – A method of measuring an earthquake not on an instrument but by the effects it has on the surface. Not to be confused with the Richter Scale. :) 

----- 

Janet was glad to see Daniel's eyes open, although she really hadn't expected him to wake up so soon. His body had only just gotten over the fever and he looked like he could fall asleep again at any moment, but the anthropologist still smiled as she and the rest of SG1 entered the room. He was the only long-term patient she had right now, so the recovery room was nice and quiet. The perfect remedy for an SG member, especially since one SG patient often meant having the whole team in her infirmary cluttering up space. Here at least they could stay out of the way. Janet returned Daniel's smile warmly, thanking and dismissing the nurse who'd been set to watch over him. 

As the woman left Janet noticed the Colonel close the door firmly behind her, unreasonably making Janet feel somewhat closed in, but then turning back to Daniel the doctor was all business as she began her usual checkup. "How do you feel?" 

"Like I've been hit by lightning," Daniel replied then with a small frown amended, "or maybe a truck." 

"Probably both," Sam stated with a nervous grin. 

Daniel grimaced readily agreeable on that point. He looked up at all of them and asked concerned, "So did everyone get back okay?" 

Janet looked up from checking the numbers on the watching machines. Everyone one was here, weren't they? Teal'c clasped his hands behind his back and said to the anthropologist, "Everyone _has_, DanielJackson." 

Janet almost frowned in concern. Teal'c was a man of little words but those words could communicate volumes and something had just been said but she didn't know what. Apparently neither did Daniel because as he stifled a yawn and rubbed the sleep from his eyes the anthropologist tiredly asked, "And your brother's okay Jack? He's here now?" 

Janet looked up sharply. A brother? Now she knew something was wrong and the momentary claustrophobia was joined by a keen sense of alarm. 

"Daniel," the Colonel drawled out. "I think that fever might have gotten to you because I don't _have_ a brother." 

"Well I know you don't have a brother, but…" Daniel started annoyed but stopped as if he were suddenly remembering something. "Oh…ya, um…" 

It was enough to convince Janet that SG1 _was_ in fact compromised. She made an immediate step towards the panic button only to find someone steadfastly blocking her way. "Teal'c, move please," Janet stated, her alarm increasing a notch. 

Yet the big jaffa merely told her, "I cannot." 

Janet turned to try a break for the door, but the Colonel stood in front of her with his hands up. "Wait, just let us explain." 

At the same time Sam said trying to calm her, "It's okay Janet, really." 

"Okay my foot!" Janet retorted. "What is going on?" She considered yelling for help but the Colonel was giving her a look of such pleading that she bit her tongue. 

"I promise, I'll explain. Just give me a chance. Can you do that?" He asked her. 

Janet looked around the room at all the members of SG1 and then back at the Colonel. Going against her better judgment she reluctantly nodded. He sighed with relief but when he opened his mouth he didn't say anything, looking very much like a deer caught in the headlights of a car. 

"Well," he finally said cringing somewhat, "It's a bit of a long story, do you want to sit down?" 

Janet gave him a very pointed look and crossed her arms. "No. Thank you." 

He ducked his head and Janet heard him murmur under his breath, "Jack is _so_ going to kill me." 

"Wait," Janet quickly interrupted any bit of hope that she was overreacting vanishing in an instant. "Are you telling me you are _not_ Colonel Jack O'Neill?" It wasn't possible. The DNA samples were identical. If the Colonel had a twin that would be a different matter, but she knew the full history of O'Neill's colorful background and she knew for a fact he didn't any siblings, let alone an identical twin! That meant if this man _wasn't_ Jack O'Neill he _had_ to be an alien. 

Again the man cringed, but finally admitted, "No. My name's MacGyver." 

Janet again went for the door but the man caught her arms stopping her. "Do you value O'Neill's life?" 

Squirming in the man's hold and frantically wondering why no one else was helping her Janet yelled, "Let go of me!" 

"Do you value O'Neill's life?" The man asked again harder this time. 

Going limp in the man's arms, Janet's body filled with dread, realizing just what exactly he was implying. Across the room Daniel was half out of the bed in alarm and Sam had a look not dissimilar to what Janet was feeling, but none of SG1 rushed forward to help her. "Where is the _real_ Colonel O'Neill?" 

"On P5C-421," Sam told her quietly, her eyes filling with guilt. 

Then the man who could _be_ Colonel O'Neill calmly said to her, "I'm going to let go now. Are you going to do something rash?" 

"Not if you explain yourself," Janet told him in a tight hard voice. He let go and took a step back giving her some room. Janet crossed her arm tightly glaring at all of SG1 and then back at the imposter. He looked so much like the Colonel, but knowing he wasn't cleared up a few things at least, although not why he was here. 

The man nervously shoved his hands in his pockets and took a deep breath to begin. "Like I said before, my name is MacGyver. I'm Jack O'Neill's brother." 

"Colonel O'Neill doesn't _have_ a brother." 

"Things weren't supposed to come out like this." MacGyver ruefully replied. 

Janet took a breath, she needed time to sort this out, and then realization dawned on her. "The person who called the General really _was_ Colonel O'Neill, wasn't it?" 

Again MacGyver's lips twitched into a grin. "You got it in one. I was hiding out at Jack's when this whole mix up began and rather than blow my cover I rather unwittingly ended up on this radical adventure." 

Frowning, her mind tried to wrap around facts that were suddenly fitting into place. Then Janet asked, "But why the subterfuge at all? Why not just tell the General you're his brother?" 

Daniel half sank back onto his cushions in exhaustion grumbling out, "That's the million dollar question." 

"Because Jack O'Neill doesn't _have_ a brother. Dexter Fillmore _does_, or at least did, but according to government records they both died when he was a young teenager." 

"Wait," Sam said blinking hard and scrunching her face in disbelief, "Are you trying to tell us that Colonel O'Neill is under the Witness Protection Program?" 

But Daniel seemed more focused on something else. "Dexter?" He questioned incredulous sitting back up again. 

MacGyver shrugged. "Have you ever heard of HIT?" 

"I have," Janet replied grudgingly. Some people she knew had been killed by HIT. "They're an assassin group for hire. They're disbanded now." 

"But not all found," MacGyver said solemnly. "Last I heard the DXS still had open cases on several of HIT's ex-members." 

"Dexter?" Daniel repeated with disbelief. 

"When Jack was a teenager he was the key witness to a trial that put several of HIT's best agents away. HIT still holds a grudge and while for the most part it's gone I know for a fact that those remaining agents are trying to form the organization up again. They have their fingers in all sorts of places these days. So you see, if anyone knew we were brothers, _identical_ twins at that, mention would have to be made on his record. One thing leads to another and people will discover that 'Jack O'Neill' is just a cover." 

Daniel scrunched his face up asking one final time, "_Dexter?_" 

"Daniel, you're tired," Sam told him patting him on the arm. 

"Ya, but Sam, Dexter? I just can't see Jack's real name being _Dexter_!" 

Janet had to agree, but what MacGyver had told them actually made a bit of sense. As Head Medical Examiner she was privy to the classified reports of everyone. There was no mention of the WPP, but there wouldn't be, and there _was_ mention of his family moving around quite a bit during the early years of his life. He was listed as an only child, but… "How do you fit into all this?" Janet asked MacGyver giving him a hard look. 

For a brief moment he had the deer in the headlights look again, but then told her, "Jack and I never actually met each other until after he'd gained his new identity. There was a mix-up at the hospital when we were born so no one realized Jack's twin was identical and not fraternal. Unfortunately Mike was killed. From what little Jack's told me about it, He and Mike ended up in the wrong spot at the wrong time and Mike was shot in the crossfire. It's the event Jack testified to in the trial." MacGyver's hands seemed to dig deeper into his pockets as he told them, "After we met and figured out the truth Jack and I realized if anyone saw us together they'd figure out his identity was false. So we've been doing our best to stay as far away from each other as possible ever since." 

The room was quiet for a long time after that as everyone thought things through. Janet knew the story was plausible, and here they'd certainly seen things for more incredible. That wasn't so much her problem; it was the idea of keeping it all secret. Surely the General could be trusted to keep it out of the files, she reasoned in her head, but the more she thought about it the more she realized he couldn't. Not because he'd want to put O'Neill in danger, but because he had to hold to regulations more than anyone else here. The security of the base was too important, and knowing a man looked just like the Colonel was too large a risk to _not_ put it in the file. 

Janet let out a long sigh of frustration and looking around at the rest of SG1 questioned, "And you all agreed to keep this a secret?" 

"O'Neill requested it personally," Teal'c stated as if that was all that was needed. Maybe for him. Sam didn't respond but the expression on her face said she had, and would, and perhaps for more personal reasons. Daniel didn't answer either but had a hand to his forehead as if it hurt. 

Doctor instincts kicking in Janet moved to his side, checked the IV bag and pulled out some pain medication. The rest moved to the bed side as well and MacGyver stated quietly, "If you feel you have to tell the General I'll understand." 

She looked up at him, but he had that wide-eyed and altogether innocent pleading look in his eyes again. Janet quickly turned back to what she was doing, she couldn't think with someone looking at her like that. If she hadn't known this wasn't O'Neill she'd have sworn he'd picked it up from Daniel. The Anthropologist had a tendency to use that tactic in her infirmary quite a lot. 

Then Daniel put his hand on hers to catch her attention. "Janet? Most of this is new to me too, but Jack secretly broke into the SGC and came through the gate to come get Mac. I don't think he would have done that if he didn't think it was really important." 

Janet sighed. She couldn't believe she was really considering this, but then looking up at them all finally relented, "All right. I'll keep your secret." 

MacGyver broadly grinned. "Great!" 

But Janet gave him a hard gaze that made the man back up a step intimidated. "You still need to explain just why you're here. If you and the Colonel have been trying to avoid each other all this time, why did you risk coming here in the first place?" 

For a third time that day the man gave her the 'lost in the headlights' look, and then told her, "A friend of mine was killed at a dig site in Oregon. I tracked his killer here but things didn't really go as I planned so I took refuge at Jack's place. You know the story from there." 

It was almost too much to believe, but Janet felt herself wanting to trust this man. Something about the way he carried himself. It was with that same confidence the Colonel had but unlike the Colonel whose trust you had to earn this man practically radiated it. 

Then Daniel remarked, "Speaking of which? Where did you say Jack was?" 

Sam's face tightened with worry as she told him, "Hopefully on P5C-421." 

"The planet SG4 relocated the Gerations to?" Daniel asked startled. 

"They should be taking a shipment of supplies to them tomorrow. The Colonel plans to hide in one of the empty boxes coming back." 

Daniel's eyes went wide. "There's enough room in one of those?" 

"If we make sure they take one of the big containers." 

Janet thinly smiled, "You might have another problem. With this security problem the General has all outgoing missions on hold until further notice." 

Yet MacGyver put in with a broad grin, "Jack's made it through much worse, waiting an extra day will be nothing." 

The group regarded the optimistic man with worry, but no one disputed the fact. It was true, Janet reminded herself, the Colonel, all of SG1 had been through 'much worse' than a simple extra day off world. Still, as Janet well knew, the longer SG1 was off world, the greater their chances of getting into trouble. 

***** 

Jack had managed to find a rather convenient spot to hide. A lot of hills surrounded the gate here and the first one Jack searched had produced a rather nice hollow underneath a lining of shrubs. When Jack squirmed underneath he found not only did it fit him rather well but he could also still see easily through the shrubs to the gate. 

It'd be a long wait before SG4 showed up, and thankfully as yet Jack hadn't seen any of the Gerations, hopefully it'd stay that way. Wincing as a his side suddenly clenched in pain Jack shifted and felt down where the bandages covered his bullet wound now almost a day old. It felt dry to the touch which could be considered a miracle if he didn't know better. It meant the wound wasn't leaking blood. Still he'd rather not have the wound at all. 

Feeling somewhat grouchy, Jack pulled out the alien 'artifact.' This was what those guys on Earth had been looking for. The question was why? It didn't look like any other kind of Goa'uld data crystal the Colonel had ever seen. But he'd never seen one of them do what this one did either. Jack idly wondered what would happen if this disk and the one MacGyver had came together. Would it be like what happened every time he and Mac got together? If that was the case Jack didn't want any part of it. He had enough to deal with as it was. 

Part of him seriously wished he could just get rid of the disk. He knew of one sure way to do it. Dial Earth and toss it through. Without the GDO code to open the Iris…poof! But if it was like him and Mac, the iris wouldn't be closed. Jack gave the object a look of disgust and put it back in his pocket. Out of sight, out of mind. Besides, when he got back he just knew his team would be telling him how important it was. It'll be some something or another that will save the world no doubt, Jack silently grumbled to himself. 

Just then movement caught his eye and Jack watched as a young Geration boy came walking up to the gate. The kid stopped and gazed at it for a while, and then after a few moments turned and started up one of the hills. The same hill Jack was currently hiding on. 

The Colonel froze, trying to breath as slowly as possible as he watched the boy draw closer. He passed right by the shrubs and Jack mentally asked for the Geration to just keep going. So of course he stopped, just passed the bushes as he looked around. Jack held his breath in the anticipation of being discovered, but a moment later the kid continued on. 

It was still a while before Jack dared to let himself relax again. That had been close, a little too close, Jack suspiciously thought and after a minute decided to improve his little hiding spot. Something told him this was going to be a longer wait then he expected. 

***** 

Sam approached the Colonel's office with some hesitation. Only a few people, like Teal'c, had permanent quarters on base. Everyone else used whatever spare bed they could find and by the time SG1 had left the infirmary the night before most of the isolated rooms had been taken. Sam had no problem using one of the group bunk rooms, but she didn't think it'd be safe for MacGyver to do the same. The more people he was around the more likely someone was going to notice he wasn't the Colonel. So instead she'd suggested he crash on the couch in the Colonel's office. He readily agreed and with a warm smile had asked her for directions. 

Shaking her head Sam found she had a hard time disliking the man. It was still too uncanny how much he looked like the Colonel, and there were obviously some things the Colonel and his brother were hiding from them. Truth be told, like Daniel, she had a hard time believing the Colonel's real name was Dexter Fillmore. Because she couldn't resist, she ran a search on the name but came up empty. At least nothing that fit with the story MacGyver had given them. 

Still, it was hard to not trust him, either. It was hard to not trust the Colonel, too, but it was different with him. Then there was the fact that she'd been idolizing the legend of MacGyver for years now and suddenly here he was, her superior's twin brother. 

Sam reached the office and stopped, feeling herself flush slightly from mixed emotions. You're being silly Sam, she told herself and calming her nerves raised a hand to knock on the door but it opened before she could actually get that far. "How…how did you know I was here?" Sam asked startled. 

MacGyver stood before her with a peculiar look on his face. "I guessed. Actually, I was hoping I'd be wrong." 

For a moment Sam was torn between the irrational thought that he didn't want to see her and the crazy notion he might have some sort of precognitive ability. "I was just coming to see if you wanted to go for some breakfast?" She asked now uncertain. 

Mac's face brightened considerably. "Ya that sounds great. Did they get the cameras fixed?" 

"Only just, but we can still talk. Only certain areas of the base are equipped to record sound and we usually have to turn them on separately. Guess it didn't fit in the Budget." 

He gave her a knowing grin and Sam felt her lips curl in a returning smile but her mind was still locked on what he'd said before. Guessed? 

The cafeteria was fairly packed. A little unusual for the SGC but not surprising considering the night had just about everyone here. Sam watched curiously as MacGyver went down the line picking up a fruit bowl, Grape Nuts, and a yogurt. The Colonel hated yogurt so she deftly put that back and placed a bowl of jello on his tray instead. 

MacGyver looked at it then at her in question. "It was too healthy," Sam murmured looking around to see if anyone else noticed. No one had, an advantage they had with the place so crowded. Beside her MacGyver chuckled, but move on. 

There was about a million questions waiting on the tip of her tongue and none of which ones she could risk asking here so for the most part they ate in silence. Sam tried not to be obvious but she couldn't help herself, he just looked so much like the Colonel it was _weird_. 

His eyes smiled back as he finished off the jello. She realized then that she was staring again and looked down at her now empty plate but then MacGyver startled her by suddenly asking, "Tell me Carter, do you like to fish?" 

Sam looked at him surprised. He seemed earnestly concerned by her reaction but thankfully Sam was spared from actually answering him as Teal'c approached. The Jaffa stated, "It is time for our practice O'Neill." 

Now it was MacGyver's turn to look uncomfortable. "Okay," he replied somewhat hesitantly but got up and followed after the big man. Sam let out a slow breath of relief. It wasn't as if she didn't _like_ fishing. Actually, she didn't know if she did or didn't, but the Colonel had certainly asked her to join him enough times before. It was just one more thing the Colonel and his twin had in common. 

It still made Sam wonder just what else they had in common and with some resolution left to make a phone call. 

***** 

Daniel had the pages of rubbings spread out all over his bed, a book open at his side and a stack more on the side table. On a pad of paper he wrote the ruff translation, not really thinking too much on what it was about yet, wanting to just get it down on paper first. Later he'd ask Teal'c to go over it with him to make sure it was as close to accurate as possible. So far, it didn't really make much sense but he wrote it down anyway. 

The door to his room opened and Daniel smiled up at Sam as she entered glad for the interruption. "Hey Sam." 

"Hi Daniel. How are you feeling?" 

"Better. Much better. Janet says by tomorrow I should be good enough to leave." 

"Great!" She grabbed a chair and slid it next to the bed giving the strewn papers a small grin. "And how goes it with the translation?" 

Daniel grimaced. "I'm not sure. If I've got this right it talks a lot about keys, stars, and the end of time." He shook his head and put the pad down. "I don't know." Then he noticed what Sam was carrying and curious asked, "What's that?" 

To his surprised she gave him a somewhat mischievous grin and handing the folder over told him, "I called in a favor to an old friend of mine. This is the file the DXS have on MacGyver." 

Daniel gave her one last look of surprise but then eagerly opened it. "There are some things missing." He stated noticing right away that they didn't even have his full name listed. 

"I know. MacGyver was never a true agent of the DXS but there's recommendations in there about him from a couple Generals as well as several of the DXS Intelligence Agents. According to my friend the DXS considered MacGyver to kind of be on contract." 

"You'd think they'd at least know his name," Daniel grumbled. There was more than just that missing from the report but for the most part the main sections of MacGyver's history seemed to be listed. There was even an addendum under remaining relatives giving Mac a son. "Sean Angus Malloy," Daniel read out loud and then commented reading the notes on Sean, "Can you imagine discovering you have a son after 19 years?" 

"Couldn't be any stranger than discovering you have a twin brother," Janet remarked catching what he said as she walked into the room. She, too, had a file folder in hand. 

"Good point," Daniel replied with a slight grin but Janet's face was wrinkled in concern. 

"Janet?" Sam asked worried. 

"When identical twins are born, it's because two embryos form from the same zygote. But while they're in the womb each child is subjected to subtle changes, not so much in their DNA but in other aspects." 

"You're talking about phenotypes, aren't you?" Sam asked. 

Janet nodded, dropping the Colonel's file on Daniel's lap next to MacGyver's and telling them, "I ran a few more tests on MacGyver's blood sample. Normal DNA testing won't show any differences but the immunoglobins on white blood cells should." 

Sam added with a thoughtful expression on her face, "The proteins change according to environment, disease, whatever infects the body." 

Janet nodded and Daniel could see they were both following the same line of thinking. Whatever it was it was important. "And?" 

"And according to what I have on file O'Neill and MacGyver are _exactly_ the same." 

"How is that possible?" 

"It isn't. At least not here on Earth." 

Daniel couldn't help himself and curiously opened Jack's file. It was privy information he knew and for Janet to bring it to them now meant she was really concerned. It was much thicker than MacGyver's and far more encompassing, even with Jack's childhood, which might be odd for a file that supposedly contained a false history. 

"We have to tell the General," Janet stated pulling Daniel's attention away from the file. 

"I don't think we should," the anthropologist replied wondering himself just when he'd made that decision. 

Before Janet could reply Sam put in, "MacGyver's been around a lot longer than the gate's been open. I just don't think aliens have anything to do with their connection to each other." 

"But what else could it be other than cloning, and it'd have to be fairly recent cloning at that?" Janet asked. 

"We can make clones," Daniel remarked. 

Both women gave him a look and with a slight grin Sam stated, "MacGyver's been around a lot longer than Dolly, too." 

Daniel had to agree the idea was pretty inconceivable, but so was the idea that Jack's real name was Dexter. "There's something else you should know. When we were back on the planet I saw something kind of…strange. They thought I was asleep at the time and I saw them arguing. I'm not sure about what exactly but the next thing I knew one of them had willingly pulled the pin of a grenade, _for no reason_." Janet and Sam just stared at him in shock and he continued exasperated, reliving some of the panic, "It never went off. It was a dud. And well I know there's absolutely no way they could have known but somehow they did." 

"The chance of there even being a dud is so low now, but it must have been the same one we threw at the Goa'ulds," Sam murmured mystified. Then after a minute she said seriously, "Whatever their secret is, it's not endangering anyone and I think we should help them." 

There was a minute of worried silence but they finally all agreed and then Daniel stated with a wry gin, "This doesn't stop us from finding out their secret for ourselves, though. Didn't Jack mention Mac once burnt down his house?" 

They checked the file, but the only mention of a fire they found was when Jack was nine. "He went missing for the next six days, too." Daniel said with a frown. 

"What was the date on that?" Sam asked looked through MacGyver's file. Daniel told her and she leaned forward saying as she pointed it out to them, "There was a missing children's report filed for almost the same time period for MacGyver. Coincidence?" 

But no one believed that. Then Janet pointed out, "This is also well before the time MacGyver said he first met O'Neill. Do you think that's a lie, too?" 

Daniel stated confidently, "There's no way Jack's name is Dexter Fillmore!" 

"Where is MacGyver now?" 

Sam grinned. "With Teal'c at the gym." 

***** 

Thankfully they were the only ones in the small room, but Mac still felt silly to be dressed in so much padding. Not that he didn't think he'd need it, but he'd never learned how to box before and standing there with his hands up felt weird. The closest to any kind of fighting sport Mac had ever come to was hockey. 

"As O'Neill has told me on many occasions," Teal'c told him, "you must move around." 

Mac dropped his hands questioning confused, "Move?" 

Teal'c's padded fist jabbed him smartly in the chest and Mac felt himself hit the ground. Catching his breath again Mac stated with understanding, "Move. Right." In the end dodging the jaffa's punches proved much easier than punching back. 

"You are quick," Teal'c commented with a slight smile helping Mac up off the ground for a second time. 

"Obviously not quick enough," Mac replied and then asked hopeful, "Do you guys do anything else?" 

"We do. I shall teach you staff fighting." 

Mac gave the big man a pained look. "Staff fighting?" But the jaffa only grinned, not at all reassuring any of Mac's apprehension. 

While although Mac did end up gaining a few new bruises, staff fighting turned out to be much easier for him to learn than boxing. Mac didn't really have much in the line of actual training but he'd gotten into a lot of fights in his life and his instincts were good enough that he could block at least half of what came towards him. 

By the end of an hour with Teal'c teaching him several moves and techniques Mac was really starting to enjoy it. Knowing this stuff could have been handy so many times in the past. Although he was sure the jaffa was going easy on him. 

He had just completed a successful counterattack when Major Carter came into the gym. MacGyver at once noticed the suspicious narrowing of her eyes, but then she smiled at them and the look softened. "How goes it?" 

"Teal'c's a great teacher," Mac replied grinning. 

Teal'c seemed to grow an inch in height and solemnly intoned, "The pupil learns only as well as he's willing." 

"Thanks Teal'c, that means a lot." 

Carter smiled and then told them, "The General will need our reports soon." 

"I have finished mine already MajorCarter," Teal'c stated. 

Mac thought about what he'd typed up the night before and told them, "Ya, I've finished mine, too, but I'd really appreciate it if you guys would look over it for me. I've never really had to write a report _quite_ like this before." 

"I can help," Carter quickly replied, then said, "And Daniel's ready to go over the translation with you Teal'c." 

"Then I shall assist him," Teal'c stated inclining his head. After changing Mac and Carter collected the computer disk from Jack's office and decided to go over it in Carter's lab. "It'll be less suspicious for us to both be there," she told him, looking nervous for a moment although Mac couldn't reason why. 

Her lab looked like an explosion of science. There were things everywhere. Mac gazed around at everything with open delight. This place was more interesting then any of the Phoenix Foundation research labs. "How often do you get to work on this stuff?" Mac asked picking up the pieces of some sort of device." 

Carter looked over from her laptop and gave him another somewhat nervous look. Mac knew that look, it was the 'don't touch anything look,' so he put the device down and tucked his hands into his pockets. From her look of relief Mac guessed Jack usually ignored the look. 

"Sorry, it's just…" the Major floundered for a second then went straight to answering his question, "Not that often. Backwards engineering is sort of a hobby of mine and gives me something to do whenever we're between missions." 

Mac just grinned understanding her ambition completely. Settling in they went over his report and Mac was glad to see the Major finally start to relax around him again. She even outright laughed at one point, reading with a grin, "'The electromagnetic vibrations of the goa'uld ship's anti-gravity stabilizers resulted in an earthquake that increased in intensity about 1 Mercalli every 10 minutes.' This isn't the way the Colonel would write it." 

"How did you write it?" Mac questioned curious if he'd gotten the name of the ship's technology wrong. 

"Well," Carter awkwardly hesitated, "much like you did, but the Colonel isn't known for including too many technical details into his reports." 

"You're kidding." MacGyver was genuinely surprised. He knew Jack hated scientists, and Mac couldn't blame him considering what they'd gone through, but that didn't mean Jack didn't have an understanding of science himself. After they discovered what they were Mac and Jack had decided to overtly forego that route, Jack perhaps more than Mac thought. 

Carter was regarding him with suspicion again as she questioned, "How well do you know the Colonel?" 

Mac just leaned back in his seat telling her honestly, "We've kept in touch, but I can't exactly say we've been able to spend any real quality time together." 

For a moment Mac thought the Major would start probing him with questions, but she suddenly took a turn in the conversation asking instead, "Do you still have the goa'uld crystal?" 

Mac pulled it from his pocket and handed it over to her. It hadn't left his side since he took it. It was the reason he was here after all and once again Mac internally struggled with whether or not he should tell them so but finally decided to wait till he could talk to Jack first. "Do you know what it is?" 

"No," she told him looking at it closely. "It's not shaped like any of the goa'uld crystals we've found before, but dad might know something." 

"Dad?" 

She looked up at him and hedged, "He's earth's ambassador to the Tok'ra. An alien group we came across a few years ago." 

He realized there was a story behind that but didn't want to pry so he casually asked instead, "Has Daniel had any luck with the translation?" 

"It refers to the crystal as a key to the secrets of time. Actually, it refers to multiple keys. There weren't any other crystals there were there?" 

Mac shook his head. "No, but it looked like there was room for two more." 

Carter sighed discouraged. "Oh well. We might never know without the device from the ship, especially if this was just a key." 

"I don't think so," Mac responded before he could stop himself and she looked at him in question. It was hard not to just tell her everything he'd already discovered about the disk right then and there. Supposedly his first time encountering the crystal disks was on the ship, just like her. "When I first turned the device on the only thing it seemed to do was give off a kind of light." 

"What kind of light?" 

"Some level of ultraviolet light would be my best guess." MacGyver shrugged but it took some considerable control on his part to resist searching her lab for the items he'd need to make another reader so they could see the symbols from the disk. 

Carter had her lips pursed together in thought, and after a minute –and much to MacGyver's delight- she got up and pulled out a black light from one of the cabinets. Holding the disk over the light only showed the barest shadow of the floating symbols and turning the rest of the lights off didn't really improve it much, but it was enough to prove his theory. 

"Amazing," Carter murmured, running a hand through the symbols. They moved, just as they had before. 

Mac grinned at the expression of fascination on her face. Sometimes he really _loved_ scientists! But then as he turned the lights back on he felt the slightest hint of sensation crawl up his spine and with a small sigh opened the door fully expecting to see someone on the other side. Much to his relief the hallway was empty. 

"MacGyver?" Carter asked confused. 

He opened his mouth to tell her it was nothing, but just as he was closing the door Dr. Fraiser showed up. "Oh good, you're both here." 

"What is it Janet?" Sam immediately asked concerned but Dr. Fraiser waited till the door was closed behind her before telling them anything. 

"SG4 just got approved for their mission to P5C-421." 

"When do they leave?" 

"In two hours, but they won't be coming back for two weeks." 

They all exchanged concerned looks as MacGyver commented, "That could be a problem." 


	9. in a box

Author's Note: I hope the editing wasn't too rushed on this one, but I really wanted to get it done tonight. :) The last chapter, this chapter, and the next chapter are all what I refer to as transition chapters. They take me forever to write and I generally end up with a plot hole somewhere. I caught three in this chapter alone while I was editing so if you see any others, feel free to let me know. Dastardly things, them! Sneaksy they are! ;) 

Author's Note2: I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who's reading this. If you've read this far you must like something about it, and that makes me happy. I also want to say a _gigantic_ thank you to all of you wonderful people who have left reviews or sent me a note. IMHO reviewers can't be thanked enough for their continuous support and encouragement. My muse, Katchi, thanks you all as well. :D 

Disclaimer: Because it's been a while…see disclaimer on the second chapter! (I'm lazy :P) 

FRED - Field Remote Expeditionary Device. The big doohickey that carries stuff for them! :D 

----- 

Jack sighed. He hated waiting. It'd been over a day since he'd gated to P5C-421, the Gerations new home. Almost two days since he'd last eaten, and as his body was now constantly reminding him it'd been far too long since he'd last moved. He just couldn't trust himself to get up and move around. The already too close encounter with the boy was proof enough that something could still go wrong with this plan. 

Of course, that was only shortly after he had left MacGyver, Jack silently reasoned, then promised himself that if he was still waiting on the fourth day he'd risk getting up and stretching from time to time. By then he should be hungry enough not to care anyway. 

Idly flicking at a pebble Jack wondered just how Mac was coping. His team would look after him, Jack knew, but the man sure had a habit of getting himself into trouble without trying. Just then the gate started up. 

Hunkering down even further, just in case, Jack watched as the chevrons lit up one by one. With his luck it'd be a troop of jaffa. Jack cursed and growled under his breath, "Now why did you have to go and think a stupid thing like that, Jack!" But thankfully no hostiles stepped through the gate, just SG4, exactly as planned. Well, a little later than planned, but still a sight for sore eyes. 

He watched as Major Elkins, his team, and six FREDs arrived on P5C-421. "Welcome to OZ," Jack murmured pulling out his binoculars from his vest. Each FRED looked heavily loaded. Two contained boxes Jack figured would be big enough for his trip back, now all he had to do was wait for them to check in with the Gerations, do a bit of show and tell, and head back. Two days, top. 

Jack watched with some amusement as the team tried to steer all six FREDs at once. Not an easy task even when you had just one to manage. There were times Jack_ swore_ the machines had minds of their own. Then one of them stopped in its tracks causing the one behind it to bump into it. 

He couldn't hear what they were saying, but it was obvious Elkins was not a happy camper. After about ten minutes it was apparent the FRED wasn't going to move for anyone. It was also one of the ones carrying a big enough box for Jack to hide in. 

Wondering for a moment if the FRED's refusal to work was caused _by_ him or_ for_ him, Jack watched as SG4 decided to just leave it and repacked the other FREDs to accommodate for the broken machine's load. It was then that they ran into a second problem as not only would the stubborn contraption not move, but neither would the large container on top of it. Now Elkins _really_ wasn't a happy camper. 

Eventually SG4 took everything out of the box, piling several farming tools precariously on top of the other boxes. Watching with amusement, Jack wondered what accounting said to the merchants every time they had to put an order like this one through. Cheyenne Mountain wasn't exactly known for its farming. 

It was a while before SG4 finished and left. Even longer before Jack finally decided it was safe enough for him to sneak out. In the end he figured there'd be no difference to him waiting under a bush or in a box. At the very least he should check it out. 

Sneaking down to the FRED turned out to be far more difficult than Jack anticipated. Mostly because his limbs refused to work the way God had intended them to. But thankfully no chance passerby was witness to his less than graceful decent down the hill. 

The FRED sat like a bolder on the ground and giving the black container a good look over the only thing Jack could reason was that it was somehow _glued_ to the FRED. Jack looked inside the empty box thinking. It certainly seemed big enough, but with the FRED inoperable they'd have to either manually haul it back to the gate or have some of the engineers come out here to fix it. More guys meant more chance of discovery. 

"I guess I'm just going to have to fix it," Jack murmured, then quickly looked around to check again that he was alone. The fact that the box was glued down suggested that it had been tampered with, and if the box had been tampered with, then most likely the FRED had been as well. And knowing Mac and Carter it'd be something simple yet effective. 

Checking the electrical panel only enforced his theory that this, for once, wasn't by chance. All four screws were just slightly loose, enough that it wasn't hard for him to take them all the way off with just his fingers. It took a minute, but he soon found what he was looking for. The wire that connected the transceiver to the power unit had come undone. 

Jack wound it back around the screw that normally held it in place. It wouldn't hold forever but it'd hold, at least until the maintenance check found the screw was loose and tightened it back up. Messing with the machine made Jack wonder if he should start carrying a Swiss Army knife like Mac did. 

Still, there was no guarantee this was the only thing wrong with the FRED, but a quick look around showed everything else in their proper place so Jack refastened the panel plate and screwed it back in place. 

After that there was nothing left to do but crawl into the box. If his body felt stiff from lying out on the ground, it would absolutely hate him for this. The box wasn't very long so he'd have to curl up pretty tight to fit. With a reluctant sigh the Colonel climbed inside. 

It took three different attempts before he found what he figured was the best position to wait in. Getting the lid closed had been a small challenge but as he grabbed it his fingers found something out of place. Examining it further revealed a makeshift latch that enabled the box to be locked from the inside. Jack grinned. "Way to go guys!" 

At last Jack closed the lid and set the latch, plunging his world into blackness, only it wasn't as black as he'd expected. Small points of light shone out to him like a sea of stars. They were miniature holes covering near every side of the box he could see. Jack hadn't noticed them from the outside, and while they were small, the sheer amount solved yet another problem the Colonel hadn't really thought too much on. With this Jack wouldn't need to chance opening the lid for more air at all if he wanted. 

Jack sighed, shifted, and then shifted one more time. 

It wasn't long before he'd become bored with waiting again. That, combined with the cramped space and the manmade starry night atmosphere he felt his eyelids grow heavy and Jack soon fell into a restless sleep. 

He wasn't sure how much time had passed before he came awake again but he fervently wished he hadn't. His side had cramped up so tight it felt like a spear had gone through him instead of a bullet. Jack grunted with pain trying to convince his body to relax, but it wasn't working so well. 

"What was that?" A muffled voice suddenly questioned from outside the box. Jack froze, gritting his teeth as his side gave out another rather sharp stab of pain. 

"What is it, Gilman?" Another voice responded. Jack was sure it was Major Elkins and Captain Gilman talking. Was the rest of SG4 here? Were they going back already? Jack was sure it'd have been at least a day, although he couldn't say just how long he slept for, either. 

"Not sure, sir," Gilman answered. "Probably just an animal." 

"All right. Dial up the gate for our check in." 

"Do I tell them about the broken FRED or do we just leave it till we go back?" It was obvious Gilman didn't much care for manually pushing the contraption back just yet. Jack didn't blame him, he'd had his fair share of hulling FREDs out of ditches, too. 

"If we wait it'll just sit here for two weeks rusting," Elkins replied not too happy. _Two weeks?! _Jack's world suddenly jerked as someone kicked it. Than Elkins said, "We'll tell the General and let him decide what to do." The voice was moving away now but Jack could still hear him remark sourly, "Stupid piece of junk. They're always braking down." 

Jack silently hoped the General would decide to retrieve the FRED _now_. He didn't think he could survive hiding in a box for two weeks! It was a long time her was left waiting in apprehension before he heard any voices again. 

"What seems to be the problem, sir?" 

Jack knew that voice, it was Sergeant Siler! He half expected to hear Carter's voice, too, but it seemed Hammond had only sent Siler this time. 

"It won't move," Gilman stated as if it were obvious. 

Bracing himself Jack felt his little world shift and rock once again, this time a little more than needed in his personal opinion as whomever it was tried to remove the glued down box. Jack had to bite his tongue to prevent himself from crying out as his side protested quite strongly to being jerked about. Being discovered right now was the last thing he needed. 

Siler, ever the serious man questioned, "What's wrong with the cargo container?" 

"It won't move, either," Gilman told him and Jack's world shook once again. _Do you mind?_ Jack mentally complained. "I think it's stuck on something." There was more jerking and bumping as they tried vainly to move the box than pry at the lid. Jack squeezed his eyes shut forcing himself to remain calm. Right now he was mentally sending his thanks to his team for their foresight and dreading should that latch fail. Somehow he didn't think they'd react so well. 

Oh, hey Colonel, what are you doing in our box? 

Oh, you know. Resting. 

Oh, okay. 

Ya, he didn't think it'd go over that well at all. It was five panic filled minutes before the shaking stopped and Elkins demanded, "What are you both doing? You're supposed to be fixing the FRED." 

"But the container won't even open now, sir," Gilman protested, obviously annoyed with it. 

"At least we got what we needed from it first. Let the guys back at the SGC handle it," Major Elkins told them. "I want to get this hunk of scrap metal back through the gate before it gets dark." 

Jack sighed with relief but suddenly had to brace himself again as the FRED jerked forward in motion. 

"Are you sure this was broken?" Siler questioned, the controls no doubt in his hands. 

Gilman cursed, but Elkins just ordered, "Let's get it back through the stargate while it still works." 

Jack had traveled through the gate so many times now the sudden shift never bothered him anymore, but this was his first time going through in a box…conscious anyway. It was weird, there was just no other way to explain it. And when he hit the other side he had to bite his tongue again to keep from making any noise. 

There was the usual clatter of sounds, but it soon faded away as the FRED was guided out of the gate room. When the FRED finally came to a stop Jack wasn't sure what he should do. He was back on Earth, but he was still trapped inside this box as long as there was even a chance there was someone in the room. Now all he needed was- 

"Sergeant Siler?" 

Right on time. 

"Yes Major Carter?" 

"Whenever you have a moment, I'm getting some strange output reading from the device SG-7 brought back. I'm wondering if it might be similar to the readings we get from the gate sometimes." 

"I have a moment now, Major," Siler responded and for a moment Jack thought he actually heard the man sigh. He'd never thought about it before but sometimes Siler did seem to be everywhere at once. He should talk to the General about getting that man a bit more credit. 

Jack waited till he heard the door close to consider taking the chance of opening the box, but before he could put the thought into action he heard something. Jack strained his ears trying to figure out what it was. Was someone else in the room? Then someone knocked on the box startling him and Jack involuntarily jumped, bumping his head as it were. 

"Jack?" 

Daniel! He was going to kill that man! 

"Jack it's all clear, you can come out now, we rigged the cameras." 

"Maybe we didn't put enough holes in it." That had to be Mac 

Jack twisted about to reach the latch but with all the jostling it didn't want to move. 

"Then how do we get in?" Daniel asked sounding somewhat worried, much the way Jack was feeling right now. His fingers pried at the metal latch but it still refused to budge. 

"Would not a sharp impact set it free?" Teal'c suggested. 

Jack internally wondered if the jaffa was joking or serious but then Mac hurriedly replied, "Give me a minute to think, okay?" 

"Jack?" Daniel tried again. 

"I'm here, Daniel," Jack finally responded, cursing under his breath as his side flared to life in pain. It didn't much like the twisting about either. "Just give me a minute, will ya?" 

No one said anything and after much threatening the latch finally gave in. Actually it came right off. He pushed the lid open, blinking back against the sudden light. 

"Colonel, are you all right?" 

Jack focused on the four faces circled around the box and realized one was out of place. "Janet? What are you doing here?" He glared up at the rest of them struggling to get himself out of the box but cramped joints and sore muscles refused to cooperate. "Does everyone know? Because if that was the case I'd rather have walked back then be shipped!" 

"No one else knows O'Neill," Teal'c reassured him. 

Jack wasn't all that comforted, especially as he twisted his side again trying a new position for getting out of the box. It didn't working either. 

"Answer me one thing Colonel," Janet said in her no nonsense tone of voice she usually reserved for the times she needed to pull rank as CMO. "Or should I say, Dexter Fillmore?" 

Jack stopped his struggling to look at her startled. _Dexter?_ It was hard to keep his face from showing his shock, but a quick look at Mac and Jack half-demanded, "How do you know that name?" 

Fraiser looked worried, Teal'c calm, and Daniel incredulous. "You mean that really is you name?" Daniel exclaimed. 

Looking a little uneasy Mac said, "I had to tell them Jack, I'm sorry." 

Tell them _what_ exactly? But then Janet asked him her voice laden with concern. "Colonel, if it comes out that you have an identical twin will it_ really_ put your life in that much danger?" 

Jack turned to her and he could honestly say, "Yes Janet it will. And to anyone who knows me." After that the group was pensive until Jack shifted yet again and finally griped, "Will you guys _please_ help me out of here?" 

Teal'c and MacGyver each grabbed an arm and with a good yank out he popped. He was glad they were still hanging onto him after because it was several minutes before his legs wanted to hold him on their own, but as soon as they did he stated in his own no nonsense tone of voice. "All right Mac, it's time for you to leave." 

"Are you sure?" Mac asked, all too innocently. 

Jack gave him a hard glare. If that latch getting stuck was any kind of sign Jack _definitely_ wanted Mac to leave! "Yes, I'm sure." 

Ready to tow the man after him if it meant getting him out of the mountain Jack grabbed Mac's arm and gave the man a tug towards the door. 

"Wait, Jack, the cameras," Mac reminded him. 

Stopping, Jack tiredly ran a hand through his hair asking them, "Is this the only camera that's fixed?" 

Before they could answer all the lights went out plunging the room into complete blackness. A high disadvantage to having a base underground but in the next second the klaxons came to life and the emergency power flickered on. 

"Daniel go find out what's going on," Jack immediately ordered. The anthropologist immediately turned and that's when Jack noticed the man's limp, remembering blatantly that Daniel had been injured only a day or so ago. But before Jack could retract his order Jackson had left with Doctor Fraiser hot on his heels, she had her own responsibilities to cover whenever the alarms sounded. That left just Teal'c here with them. Jack seriously wanted to talk to Mac in private, about as much as he wanted to find out what was happening. "T, watch the door, will ya? I want to make sure no one stumbles in on us by accident." 

The jaffa tilted his head and moved away to stand guard at the entrance of the FREDs' storage room. He was a little out of place there like that the Colonel realized, but it got the jaffa out of the way at least. As soon as they were alone Jack turned to MacGyver and demanded, "Okay Mac, just what the hell did you tell them?" 

Mac opened his mouth and a rushed explanation came tumbling out. "Your real name's Dexter Fillmore, you had a twin brother named Mike, you saw HIT kill him, testified and now you're under the WPP. Mike and I were mixed up at the hospital but you and I never met till after your new identity so to keep from uncovering it that's why we keep our relationship a secret." 

Jack couldn't help it, he just stared at MacGyver. "And they _believed_ you?" 

Shrugging Mac replied, "Sort of, but I think they're highly suspicious." 

Then another question demanded to come out. "Why _Dexter_?! Isn't he one of _your_ alter egos?" 

"It was the first name off the top of my head," Mac replied defensively. "Would you rather it'd been _Angus_?" 

Jack had to agree. "No." Then with a slight grin added, "Besides, that's _your_ name." 

Mac grimaced, and then blatantly asked, "Jack, why can't we just tell them? They're your team aren't they? I just feel like we can trust them." 

"No," Jack stated quite firmly. "I'm not about to risk anyone else with this." 

The alarms cut out ending whatever emergency was going on, at least on the immediate level, but the power still didn't switch back over. 

"We might not be able to stop it this time Jack," Mac told him somberly. 

"Well we're going to try," Jack replied determined, but deep down in his core he was having the same feeling Mac was. 

Mac let out a long sigh and looking somewhat grim said, "I think we might have another problem to consider. If I'm correct it took nearly seven hours for the effects to wear off." 

"What? But I was halfway across the galaxy!" Jack knew the effect of their particular relationship was still active when the Geration nearly stumbled upon him, but for it to last _seven hours_? 

"Maybe as we've gotten older the field of-" 

Jack cut the man off. Mac was getting that glint in his eyes. The same one every scientist got when examining an experiment. Jack just didn't like _being_ the experiment. "Mac. At least wait till tomorrow. I've had a long day." 

The man bounced a bit on the spot but nodded agreement. "Sure Jack." 

Then the door opened and both men tensed ready to make a quick dash behind the nearest FRED if need be, but it was just SG1 returning. 

"Sir," Carter said as soon as they approached. "There was an energy surge in the gate, knocked out the power till we can get the transformer fixed." 

"But," Daniel added wobbling slightly till Teal'c put a hand of support under his elbow. "It means the cameras are out again till then. So it's now or never." 

"We'll take now." Then Jack frowned and he half-asked, half-demanded, "Daniel, what are you doing out of the infirmary?" 

Daniel snorted. "Are you kidding me? I wouldn't miss this for the world, _Dexter_." 

The Colonel tried giving the man an evil glare but it wasn't working as well as he wished so he turned back to the business at hand. "Okay guys, let's go." 

They carefully made their way up two levels to the same place Jack entered the SGC not two days before. The latches sealing the door shut were still burnt through which meant no one had discovered it yet. And with luck, no one would for some time. 

Poking his head inside the tunnel Mac looked up its long dark length. "I guess there's no sense in waiting." He reached out and grabbed the dangling rope and harness, fastening it around him. Turning back he pulled a disk from his pocket and handed it over to Jack. "Here, just in case." 

Eyeing the object wearily Jack slowly asked, "What is it?" 

Mac grinned. "Your report." But there was something in the man's eyes that told Jack there was something more on the disk as well. 

Tucking it into his pocket but feeling the alien disk there as he did Jack suddenly asked, "Where's the disk?" 

The rest looked somewhat confused and Carter even murmured, "Disk?" But Mac grinned again, replying, "In Carter's lab." Then with a smirk MacGyver waved and said to the group. "It's been fun. I'll see you around, Jack." 

"Ya Mac." Jack leaned in to watch as the man began the long assent up the shaft pulling his way up the rope one foot at a time. 

There was no warning, just a feeling Jack couldn't ignore. The Colonel had been about to turn away, reassured that Mac was safely making his way up to the surface when quite suddenly the rope gave out and Mac was no longer climbing but falling. Jack lunged forward. There was at least another five floors to the bottom more than enough of a distance to kill a man. "Mac!" 

The Colonel felt strong arms wrap aground his middle even as he half fell through the hatchway catching at Mac's outreached arm right at the last second. As soon as Teal'c could get a hand in the jaffa took over pulling a somewhat alarmed MacGyver out of the tunnel and back out into the hallway. 

It was Carter and Daniel who'd latched onto Jack to prevent him from falling and as MacGyver came back out they all separated reassured they were all safe. Jack sank back against the wall in pain. He knew his team meant well, but they didn't know about his bullet wound and the extra support had sent flares shooting through his body in protest. 

As soon as MacGyver got his feet under him again he smiled at Teal'c radiating relief and gratitude. "Thanks. That could have been bad." 

"Indeed," the jaffa replied solemnly. 

"Was the rope cut?" Daniel immediately questioned. 

MacGyver pulled up the rope dangling from his harness and looked at the end carefully. "Nope. It broke." 

Carter took the rope from him frowning as she examined it. "The rope isn't that old and they're tested to hold up to three tones." 

"Guess I've put on some weight," Mac joked then looking at Jack asked concerned, "You okay?" 

Jack had been trying his best to hide the pain from his face but as soon as the attention was on him he knew it was impossible. 

"Sir, you're hurt," Sam exclaimed in alarm. 

"I'm fine Carter," Jack responded and pushed himself away from the wall as if to prove it but he wavered slightly uncertain and finally had to grab at his side to keep it from clenching on him. 

Daniel gave him a look of disbelief and stated simply, "Jack, you're not fine." 

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" Mac asked worry in his eyes. 

"Yes!" Jack almost cried out exasperated, even more determined to somehow get MacGyver out of the mountain than before. "Mac, you think you can climb it on your own?" 

The man poked his head back in examining the tunnel carefully. "Probably, but I'll need a flashlight." 

"Teal'c, go get him a flashlight." 

The jaffa left but Daniel persisted in asking, "Jack, how did you get hurt?" 

"I was shot," Jack snapped back irritated with the whole situation. Why couldn't things just work the way they were supposed to! 

The anthropologist was too shocked to be offended. "On P5C-421?" 

"No," Jack grumbled somewhat calmer but grimacing as his side began to throb. "Before that." 

"Sir," Carter said sounding somewhat injured. "Why didn't you tell us?" 

"Because you didn't need to know, Carter. We had enough to deal with out there, remember?" Jack replied. 

Teal'c returned at a fast walk, almost a run for anyone else. Mac took the offered flashlight but turned back had to ask one last time. "Jack, are you sure-" 

"Mac, get your butt up there will you?" Jack cut him off in exasperation. Mac just shrugged then getting back inside the dark tunnel began to work his way up bracing himself between the walls to get better stability as he held the flashlight in his mouth. Now, if nothing else went wrong… 

Voices could be heard approaching from down the corridor. Jack cursed, then jumped into the shaft grabbing onto Mac's legs as he did. MacGyver let out a string of garbled words before grabbing the flashlight with a quick hand and exclaiming, "Jack, what are you doing?!" 

Jack ignored him hissing sharply, "Teal'c close the door!" 

The jaffa did, just in time as Jack heard someone question surprised, "Major Carter? Doctor Jackson? Teal'c? What are you doing here?" 

"What does it look like, we're talking," Daniel replied smartly. 

Then Carter stated in her best military voice, "On your way Airmen." 

"Yes ma'am." 

"Jack?" Mac whispered from above and Jack looked up into the dim light, feeling the man's worried gaze more than seeing it. "We can't keep this up." 

"Just another minute," Jack whispered back up to him. 

"No, I mean-" but the hatch door was opening again and Jack was carefully getting back out. 

"Okay Mac, it's safe to go now." 

"I'm trying Jack, believe me!" But Mac began his climb upwards again, if a bit slower than before. They waited till he was out of sight before they closed the door. Jack wondered if he should have told Mac how to get past the security on the lid but figured the man would improvise his way out if he needed to. Hopefully. 

Once Mac was safely on his way Jack felt himself relax somewhat, then he turned and had to face the expressions of his team and any bit of relief vanished. "What?" 

"So how did you get shot?" Daniel demanded. 


	10. field trip

Author's Note: A big huge gigantic thank you for all the reviews and for the readers' continued patience with me. I didn't mean for this chapter to take so long to come out, but I had an emotional crisis to work through that stopped my writing dead in its tracks all this last week. I'm good now, and determined to get this out to you so I can't promise my editing will be the best because it's very late at the moment. In fact, thinking of my tendencies towards malapropism I'm considering a beta reader would be useful. If anyone's interested in betaing the remaining chapters of this story (as I write them) just drop me an email. 

Author's Note1 part2: Okay, I got me a beta or two. Thanks! :D Plus I fixed the whole 'manor' issue, thanks for spotting that one Elvaralind. It confirmed that a beta was very much needed. :P 

Author's Note2: This chapter reaches the 100 page mark in my word document! Woot! 

Author's Note3: Oh, Pete Thornton from "MacGyver" makes a cameo in this chapter. 

Author's Note4: I also finally went to the dictionary and looked up the exact meaning of the word doppelganger. So, in a small sense Jack and Mac are doppelgangers, but it's not a natural occurrence nor is Mac or Jack a ghost. In any case I decided to use the word in this chapter as a tribute to the proposed theory. :) 

_doppelganger_: a ghostly counterpart of a living person (according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary) 

Author's Note5: major plot hole changes have been made here. :P 

----- 

Sam was angry, frustrated, and confused. Not something that happened all that often, a least, not all at the same time. 

She stared across the room at the Colonel with a carefully controlled expression on her face. They were having an impromptu meeting in her lab. Something they sometimes did after a mission to confirm accurate information in their reports, but Hammond already had their reports and they weren't due for any follow ups for a while yet. Not until they had more to go on then just the translation from the ship, which Daniel was talking about now or so Sam assumed because she wasn't really listening. 

How could he lie to them so easily? Sam internally demanded. She understood the whole trying to keep MacGyver a secret if it meant blowing a cover he'd basically grown up with. If, and there was a big emphasis on _if_, he was really this Dexter Fillmore. Daniel had told her the Colonel had pretty much confirmed it, but the anthropologist still wasn't convinced, and while she hadn't said anything, neither was she. 

None of her searches on 'Dexter Fillmore' had proved fruitful, but when she'd talked to her friend at the DXS and gotten the file on HIT she'd discovered that while neither Jack O'Neill or Dexter Fillmore had any mention, MacGyver did. In fact at one point HIT had even put a contract out on the man. Not Jack O'Neill. Not Dexter Fillmore. MacGyver. 

They'd lied to them, and they were still lying, and for that Carter was pissed. She trusted the Colonel with her life. They were a team! Why couldn't he trust them with the truth? Internally Sam sighed. She could never stay angry at him for long but she was sure going to try. 

What could possibly be so dangerous about having a twin anyway…a twin so identical it wasn't humanly possible. Janet had taken the opportunity to do another test just to be sure, this time with the Colonel's blood. They'd forced him to have her check his bullet wound, which he still hadn't really told them about. He'd told them the people had been after MacGyver, took him by mistake, and he escaped. Nothing about who they really were, where they were now, and what they wanted. MacGyver's life, Sam supposed, but this secret was too 'cloak and dagger' for her believe it was as simple as that anymore. 

Janet had pulled her aside later to tell her that the results had confirmed what they'd suspected, it was _exactly_ the same. But how? Clones, like Daniel had suggested? On Earth? And how? _When?_ Sam mentally shook her head, then thought of all the exact duplicates they'd come across. Only the one, really, but to think MacGyver was a robot was more absurd then him being a clone. The only thing they knew for sure was that MacGyver and the Colonel were the same genetically. Did that mean the Colonel had the same inherent genius abilities MacGyver did? 

Sam giggled. 

"Something funny Carter?" The Colonel drolly asked. 

"No sir," Carter quickly replied. Who'd been talking? Daniel? She turned her attention back to him. 

The anthropologist was standing half turned toward the computer's screen and looking at her with a questioning expression on his face. Even Teal'c had an eyebrow raised, but Sam just smiled and nodded at Daniel to continue. 

"Like I was saying," Daniel began again slowly, "The language is definitely goa'uld but the evidence would indicate that it originated before any goa'uld language we've seen so far." 

Sam couldn't help it her mind was too focused on her previous thoughts to really pay much attention. It'd been a busy day. They had had to unglue and hide the box in the back of the stack, convince the Colonel to be looked at by Janet, and Sam had been involved in fixing the damaged systems once the fried transformer was replaced. The Mountain was once again fully operational and everyone was more than ready to finally leave. Yet here they were _discussing_ this _new_ ancient dialect of the Goa'ulds. Again the Major's thoughts traveled. 

Silently Sam hoped MacGyver had made it out safely. They hadn't heard any alarms and she was sure they'd have been called on the Colonel's doppelganger if he'd been discovered. 

"So does it say what the disks are?" The Colonel asked Daniel, the change in speaker catching at her attention somewhat. 

"Disks?" Daniel frowned for a moment confused, his hand still half-raised pointing to the symbols on the screen. 

The Colonel gestured with exasperation. "The crystal doohickies!" 

"Oh. They're called the keys of time." 

"As in _time_ time?" The Colonel was giving the anthropologist a dubious look. 

"That's just what they're called." Again Daniel gestured at the screen. "But if this is correct, then they're the keys to a database of all Goa'uld technology." 

Sam suddenly looked up sharply in interest. Had Daniel told her that before? "Sir, if we can find the other two keys and unlock them the information could be invaluable." 

The Colonel gave her a strange look. "That important uh?" 

"Yes sir, it could be. It might be the solution to being able to defend Earth from the Goa'uld threat permanently." Sam stated. At the very least it should put them a few more steps ahead then they currently were. 

Then Teal'c spoke up, adding his agreement to the conversation. "The information could prove extremely worthwhile O'Neill. It is said the Goa'uld once had abilities even more powerful than they currently have. Perhaps this technology is located on these _disks_." 

"How does a gould _loose_ technology?" The Colonel asked. "Don't they have that whole born again memory stuff?" 

Born again? Sam minutely shook her head. "We don't know enough about genetic memory to know if absolutely everything is passed on to each new goa'uld." 

"Different family lines know different things?" Daniel offered. 

The Colonel raised his hand stopping them from saying anything further and pausing for a moment finally asked, "So if we can get all three of these _keys_, you think you could open them?" 

Sam wasn't sure what to say. Could they? She didn't know, maybe with a few years and a basement full of code breakers. "It'd be worth finding the other two if just to try, sir," Sam stated seriously. 

The Colonel closed his eyes briefly, then with a sigh asked, "Carter, where's the disk?" 

She motioned to the desk beside him and reaching over he grabbed it placing it squarely on the table between them. Then much to their surprise he pulled out a second one, placing it next to the first. 

Once again she felt the wave of anger surface although Daniel seemed more shocked than anything. "Jack, where did you get this?" 

The Colonel didn't immediately reply but pulling the floppy disk MacGyver had given him right before leaving motioned for Daniel to give up the keyboard. "I'm guessing Mac told you about his friend who'd been killed?" 

He pulled up on the screen an article from some sort of archeology magazine. "You'll probably recognize some of this." 

Daniel actually stood up and got closer as if he couldn't believe it. "This is the same goa'uld dialect that we found on 239. Where is this?" 

The Colonel huffed out in mock humor, "Oregon." 

"You're kidding, really?" 

"Really. And they found one of these keys while they were there. That was before Steel was killed." 

"Why was he killed?" Teal'c asked, the unspoken question 'was it by a goa'uld' echoing around the table. 

Shrugging, the Colonel answered, "Not sure T. It's a good enough reason for us to check it out though, don't you think?" 

Then Daniel demanded, "Why didn't you tell us this earlier? What if they had unintentionally released a goa'uld?" Sometimes Sam envied Daniel being a civilian and therefore allowed to just demand answers like that. 

As was expected the Colonel was quick to defend himself. "Hey! I only just got back, remember? Mac only just gave me this today." 

"But then why didn't he-" 

"Daniel," The Colonel cut in sternly. "Let's just figure out how we're going to present this to the General, okay?" 

***** 

"And you say this site was found in Oregon?" Hammond questioned looking around the briefing table at SG1. 

Daniel nodded. "According to the article I read they discovered it while digging for a resort. The ruins, probably a temple, was completely buried which is why no one's discovered it before. But they've already head one _accident_ on site, and we all know how our last encounter with goa'uld artifacts went-" 

"He's saying we should all go this time, sir," Jack put in. 

The General looked at the Colonel regarding his Second in Command carefully. Compared to yesterday all of SG1 had seemed to return to normal. Perhaps Fraiser was right and the odd behavior was purely emotional. He'd talked to the Doctor earlier in the day and she'd assured him she'd talked with Sam and found out the mysterious man on the Colonel's front porch had been a neighbor telling him about an accident that had just happened to a friend of theirs. She'd also strongly suggested that the whole team was long overdue for some time off. 

Perhaps with this mission being that it was Earthbound he could accommodate the doctor's suggestion. It wasn't that he intentionally overworked his number one team they just had a tendency to overwork themselves. Even the Colonel rarely stayed away from the base anymore for more than three days at a stretch. 

As last answering the Colonel's suggestion Hammond stated, "I agree. I want a call every day on the situation, and I'll have some back up ready for you in case there is a goa'uld there but I want you to take all the time you need to analyze the situation properly." Hammond waited till he was sure the Colonel understood what was being said between the lines -don't rush back- before asking, "Have you discovered who the natives on 239 belong to?" 

"No. Not yet," Daniel answered looking down at his notes. "To be honest we're not even sure what the tattoo's supposed to be." 

"Neither DanielJackson nor I have seen it before," Teal'c added. 

Hammond nodded. There were times he was shocked how well SG1 could follow the trail of the smallest piece of information, but sometimes even they had their dead ends. 

***** 

Jack stepped into his house with a sigh. It felt good to be home, even if it was only for a quick shower and to pack. The rest of SG1 would be by to pick him up for the airport before too long and then they'd be on their way. One of the great perks of working for such a high clearance place like the SGC was securing free transportation almost instantaneously. 

Grinning Jack tossed his jacket on the couch and headed for the kitchen. Before he did anything else he needed a beer. 

"Will you be going to Oregon?" 

The Colonel practically jumped out of his skin before turning on his counterpart in annoyance. "Mac! What are you doing here?" 

"Wow, you must be tired," MacGyver replied shocked to have started the Colonel. Jack just gave him a glower and stubbornly pulling open his fridge rummaged for the now desperately needed beer. MacGyver watched amused and leaning on the counter casually said, "I found your spare key. You know, under a rock is one of the most common hiding places in America?" 

Jack looked up. "Is that where it went?" But the irritation was quickly returning. "I say again, what are you doing here?" 

MacGyver didn't answer but responded by repeating his own question, "Will you be going to Oregon?" 

Sighing Jack popped the cap off the beer bottle and took a swig before reluctantly answering, "Yes." 

Just as Jack knew would happen MacGyver's eyes lit up with curiosity. "What did the translation say?" 

"I don't know, you'll have to ask Daniel," Jack replied still wishing there was someway to stop all this. He could feel it; they were nothing more than a couple of snowballs at the top of a mountain on the brink of an avalanche. The Colonel drawled out sourly, "I'm assuming you'll meet us in Oregon to personally show us the site?" 

"Yeah, sure, of course," Mac quickly replied then asked, a small smile on his face, "So does this mean the disks are important?" 

"_Maybe_," Jack replied stressing the word as best he could. "Carter and Daniel think they might hold the entire Gould database and if they do it could seriously improve our chances of winning the war." 

"Then we're going to break the code?" 

It wasn't so much a question as it was a statement and that right there was _exactly_ what Jack _didn't_ want. "No Mac, _we're_ not going to do anything of the sorts, _we're_ going to check out the ruins, see if we can find the third disk and then let the professionals take it from there." 

"Come on Jack. If the information on these disks is really so important wouldn't you want to access it?" Mac tried reasoning but that just made Jack all the more frustrated. 

"Of course I would but _us_ doing it might not be worth the consequences! What if it took us more than two days to unlock them? What then? We put everyone around us at risk? I don't think so!" 

Mac wasn't fazed at all by Jack's anger and with a shrugged replied, "We could at least try it and see." 

Jack opened his mouth to retort but stopped short. Planting his beer bottle squarely down on the counter he demanded darkly, "What did you destroy?" 

"Nothing!" Mac instantly exclaimed but glancing away reluctantly added, "That worked to begin with." Jack groaned covering his face with a hand in despair. Sometimes he really wondered how he had never just killed the man. MacGyver continued determined to push his case. "So I scavenged some things from you garage. If I never told you you'd never have even known they were gone!" 

"That's not the point Mac, we shouldn't be doing this. _We_ shouldn't be involved in _any_ of this!" 

"But we _are_. And since we are don't you think maybe we should help?" 

"No. I don't." Jack stormed out of the kitchen and up the stairs. He couldn't _believe_ MacGyver! The man was so damn willing to take _risks_ all the time. Yet once Jack had had time to cool off he'd realized Mac was right, at least in one sense. As long as they were together they might as well see if they _could_ crack the code. 

Clean, changed, full of new pain meds, the Colonel finally came back downstairs a bag over his shoulder and feeling far more alive than he had over the past two days. "Mac?" He called out but he already knew where the man was and heading for the living room wasn't surprised to see that Mac had found the alien disks from his jacket pocket and was already viewing them with his newest contraption. 

Jack eyed the floating symbols with unguarded suspicion but he dropped his bag by the door and joined MacGyver on the couch anyway. "So what are you thinking?" Jack finally asked. 

Mac had been staring intently are the symbols only to sigh and lean back in defeat. "It's too soon." 

Jack looked from him back to the disks and the device releasing the same eerie light the machine back on the ship had let off. The disks, or keys as Daniel had called them, sat side by side with the space for the third drawn out on what Jack figured was a freshly cut piece of glass only it was covered with some sort of paint concoction. Jack didn't even want to think about what might have been sacrificed to provide the glass. Above it the area for the floating symbols brushed by each other, and with fingers twitching almost anxiously Jack reached forward and pushed one symbol from one disk to the other. 

MacGyver sat up quickly his eyes going wide. "That's amazing." 

Not commenting Jack continued to move symbols around but after a minute the impulse to move them faded away and putting his hand down again the Colonel stated, "You're right, it's too soon." 

"Or we might just need the third disk. I would never have imagined the key codes would be interchangeable between platforms." 

Jack frowned. "Key codes?" 

Shrugging Mac motioned to the floating symbols. "I figure they're just like key codes for an electronic lock. Seemed easier than calling them little floating alien symbols." 

Jack was about to respond when something tickled along the back of his neck. Silently he got up and went to the door. Teal'c had his hand posed to knock right as Jack swung it open. Daniel and Carter stood at Teal'c's side looking somewhat started, but the big jaffa merely lowered his hand and questioned, "Are you ready to go O'Neill?" 

"Ya, um-" 

"MacGyver!" Carter cried spying the man through the doorway. "You made it out safe?" 

"Obviously," Jack grumbled and then had to step back as everyone suddenly pushed their way into his house. This was supposed to be a pick up and go! 

Mac stood to greet them but before he could say anything Carter had noticed the disks on the device and questioned him startled, "You made this?" He nodded. "How were you able to create the electromagnetic radiation needed at the correct wavelength? Did you use a phosphor coating?" 

"Carter!" Jack snapped a little harder than intended but not wanting to give them even a chance to get into a scientific conversation. He'd never get them to stop again. 

"Sorry sir," Carter immediately replied but the Colonel could still see a smile at the corner of her lips. One reflected on MacGyver's own face. Trying to suppress the sudden rise of jealousy Jack asked, "So, kids. Ready to go?" 

"Mac, will you be coming, too?" Daniel asked the man before Jack could usher them all out again. 

"I'll be meeting you there," MacGyver replied, and then asked looking at Jack, "You guys are leaving now?" 

"Ya, we should be landing later tonight. That is if we get out the door," Jack grumbled. 

Mac nodded. "I'll be on the early morning flight to Portland so I'll meet you at the site in the morning." 

Daniel frowned. "Why not just catch tonight's flight then we'll get there about the same time." 

Jack internally groaned. Being in the air at the same time as Mac was the last thing they wanted to do, but Mac just grinned answering the anthropologist, "The flight was booked. Besides, it's easier to see ruins in the daylight." 

Again Daniel frowned but before he could say anything Jack grabbed his bag and quickly ordered, "Carter, grab the disks. Mac, lock up when you leave and under no circumstances-" 

"I know, I know," Mac interrupted with raised hands of mock sufferance. "No blowing up the house." 

"Exactly!" 

***** 

Daniel was sitting in his seat clutching it and desperately trying to ignore the fact that they'd been riding through heavy turbulence for the last thirty minutes. Whenever they had to catch a flight with the Air Force they never knew what they were going to get. Sometimes they even got their own jet. Today was not one of those days. 

The plane was huge to say the least, with the middle packed full of pieces of large machinery tied down under canvass sheets but rocking against their straps nonetheless. Their seats were at the back along the sides of the plane and basically out of the way. 

The Colonel had disappeared upfront to chum with the pilots and while Teal'c looked completely at ease on a seat across the ways Daniel noticed the jaffa's hands momentarily grab at his own seat when the plane gave yet another somewhat violent jerk. The anthropologist imagined death gliders weren't nearly so unsteady in the air. 

Sam on the other hand wasn't even sitting but was casually crouched down in front of her pack looking for something. Pulling out her laptop she walked across the rocking plane as if it were as steady as solid ground. 

"Daniel." 

"Ummm?" 

The large engines easily drowned out most noise but Sam leaned in close flipping open the laptop. What she showed him was enough to divert his mind from its current and perfectly reasonable belief that the plane was going to come apart midair. 

It was a news report about a gas explosion that had not only taken out the entire building but killed ten people along with it. "FamilyView?" Daniel asked reading the name of the company that owned the building. 

"They acted both as an adoption agency and a fertility clinic," Sam replied. "I did a search on events during the week both MacGyver and O'Neill went missing." 

Daniel automatically looked to the front, but the Colonel didn't suddenly appear much as Daniel expected him to. Looking back to Sam he asked worried, "You think the events are related?" 

Shrugging Sam honestly told him, "I don't know, but it was the first thing that really got my attention." 

"This is really bothering you, isn't it? The whole Jack Mac mystery." 

"Yes! Doesn't it bother you that they've been lying to us?" Sam demanded more heatedly than Daniel would have expected. 

"Well, yes. But Sam, it's Jack." She just gave him a look and he had to admit he was pretty angry, too. "Do you really think the flights were full?" 

"On the red-eye?" 

He didn't think so either. 

***** 

"There's no place like home." 

Teal'c looked over at the Colonel as they exited their rented vehicle. The dew was thick and the heavy morning air cold. "Have you lived here before O'Neill?" 

"Well, no. But you gotta admit western Oregon looks like half the planets we've ever been on. Ancient ruins and all!" Jack stated gesturing around him. 

Gazing about at the trees lining the abandoned construction site the jaffa would have to agree, but he refrained from saying anything. As he checked that his requisite hat was completely covering his tattoo MajorCarter and DoctorJackson pulled the packs from the trunk and soon SG1 was on their way. They barely got halfway across the site before someone called out, "MacGyver? Is that you?" 

They all turned to see a man with a walking stick standing by one of the parked construction vehicles. "Pete?" O'Neill immediately responded. "What are you doing here?" 

"When you called last night to request the site be left alone for a few days I couldn't resist." The man replied and then exclaimed. "MacGyver! What happen to you? You just suddenly disappeared! And with Steel already dead I thought the worst." 

"I know I know, I'm sorry. And I promise I'll tell you the whole story, later. Now's just not a good time." 

"It better be a good one!" The man griped only partially mollified. 

Then DanielJackson questioned quietly, "Jack?" 

Teal'c would not have thought the man O'Neill had called Pete would have been able to hear DanielJackson, but apparently he had for in the next minute he demanded looking about, "Is Jack here? Because that would go a long way in explaining a lot!" 

The man didn't seem to be able to see too well and gazed long and hard at all of them. Perhaps that was why his hearing was better than normal, Teal'c mused. Meanwhile O'Neill glared angrily at DanielJackson before quickly saying, "No Pete. Jack isn't here. Don't worry you have nothing to fear." 

Pete seemed to sigh with relief, even smiling while he stated, "Well aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?" 

O'Neill visibly cringed and thinly smiling said brightly, "I'm sorry Pete where are my manners. Pete Thornton, this is Sam, Murray, and Daniel. Daniel's an anthropologist who's familiar with James' work. I'm hoping he can help me figure out the secret to this place, and maybe even what James died for." 

"Good luck," Pete replied with full encouragement, then glancing about again with unfocused eyes asked, "And you're _sure_ Jack has nothing to do with any of this?" 

"Positive." 

"Well, okay. You don't need a blind man in your way." 

O'Neill immediately stepped closer to the man saying with what Teal'c felt was real concern. "Come on Pete, you know it's not like that." 

But the man waved off O'Neill's concern grinning as he asked, "You promise to tell me everything later?" 

"Cross my heart and hope to die!" O'Neill responded adamantly. 

The man just nodded, and turning headed off in the direction he'd come from. Looking down the row of abandoned machines Teal'c could see a driver and a vehicle waiting in the clear patch beyond. 

No one moved or said anything until they watched the vehicle move off. O'Neill visibly dropped his shoulders in relief while DanielJackson immediately questioned, "When he said Jack, did he mean you?" 

"No. Pete doesn't know I exist. He was talking about a man named Jack Dalton, and if you ever come across someone with that name don't trust him!" Jack exclaimed then shook himself as if shaking water off his back. 

"Oh come on, he's not that bad!" A voice full of humor commented and they turned to see the real MacGyver step out from behind one of the quickly erected buildings that scattered the site. The man had a large smile plastered across his face while his shoulders shook with silent laughter. 

"Ha!" O'Neill exclaimed in disbelief. 

MacGyver walked up to them and still highly amused commented, "Jack, I was impressed. You make a better me than I do!" 

A small smile twitched at Teal'c lips as well. He, too, had been surprised by O'Neill's sudden change in character, but there was none of it remaining now as the Colonel sarcastically remarked, "Well you make a horrible me, so let's get this over with." 

MacGyver showed them entrance to the buried ruins that had been excavated. Before they went in O'Neill pulled out a flashlight and his gun motioning for the rest to follow suit. Then leaning closer to MacGyver O'Neill questioned, "So no one should be down there now, right?" 

"There wasn't anyone before." 

MacGyver seemed a little startled by O'Neill's precaution and even DanielJackson stated dubious, "Jack, if there was a goa'uld down there I highly doubt it's still there." 

"Let's just play it safe to be sure," O'Neill stated, and then grumbled, "I don't want to face down any more kamikaze kangaroos." 

So they filed into the uncovered tunnel following it slowly till it opened up into a large room. There was another tunnel leading off at the other end but the writing on the stone walls of the room caught DanielJackson's attention. 

"It's the same as on 239." 

MacGyver moved up next to him shining the flashlight along the wall and saying with a smile, "I guessed it dated back to either early Egyptian or even Pre-Egyptian. Was I right?" 

DanielJackson glanced at the man giving him an odd look but replying, "Yes." 

O'Neill had moved on to the far tunnel to check it out. Teal'c was about to join him when Carter remarked examining the room's walls, "Sir, we might want to consider putting up more shoring along the tunnel, there's an awful lot of mud down here." 

With her words O'Neill's head snapped around and Teal'c saw the Colonel and MacGyver share a sudden look of alarm. Then MacGyver groaned out, "Awwww Man!" 

No sooner had the words escaped the man's mouth then another much more disturbing noise penetrated the darkness. Like the crack of cannon fire from space it filled the entire room. All at once Teal'c saw the cause for the noise as stone upon stone came crashing to the floor. A second later the entire ceiling gave in, giving them no time to do anything more than react. 

Even as the darkness suddenly surrounded him Teal'c leapt for safety, but it was already too late, and he knew it. 

------ 

Author's Post Story Note: While I know the show is actually filmed in BC, I've been all up and down the Pacific West Coast several times and I think I can say with some accuracy that a lot of it is very identical. :D 

Author's Post Story Note2: I just want to assure everyone that O'Neill's cranky behaviour every time he's around Mac is validated. I just haven't elaborated too much on the details yet. :P 


	11. Akh

Author's Note: Sorry for the wait, had to get my rhythm with my new Beta Readers. And a huge thanks to my two Beta Readers, Dimac99, and Sealrescuer, who are so very patient with me. :D And as always, thanks be to the wonderful peeps for reading and reviewing. 

Author's Note2: You'll never believe how much a dork I am! I discovered, much to my dismay, a serious plot hole. O.O Silly me was _sure_ identical twins didn't have identical DNA, and while they might not always due to mutation, they generally do. They do _not_, however, have identical phenotypes. (I knew there was something different! :P) So I had to make a few changes in a couple chapters to fill in this blaring plot hole. There's a minor change in chapter 10, but the real changes are in chapter 8. 

If you really don't want to reread it, the short of the matter is that instead of doing a DNA test, Fraiser conducts a few other teats to compare their phenotypes, like the surface proteins on a white blood cell. These normally change from various environmental influences (like virus, etc). She finds that for our twins they're exactly the same, which, unless they were both raised in the same static clean room, really isn't possible. :P 

There we go. Updated explanation in a nutshell! :D 

And for any who might not know this common American phrase (or maybe it's a common Canadian phrase, I am Canadian after all, well, whatever): 

_'...like the dickens'_ - An euphemism for '...like Hell.' Generally expressed as 'hurt like the dickens.' 

----- 

Jack coughed deeply to clear his lungs, but there was so much debris in the air he felt like he was getting more dirt in than out. Raising an arm to his face and squeezing his eyes against the sting, Jack yelled out, "Hey! Anyone alive?" 

Probably Mac and no one else. No Jack! Don't even _think_ something like that! Besides, it was a little too soon for it to be that bad just yet…he hoped. 

Someone coughing pulled at his muffled senses and Jack turned in that direction calling out, "Count off!" 

"Jack?" Daniel's voice croaked back. 

No one else responded, and in the deafening silence Jack heard Daniel let out a cry that clearly indicated that while the anthropologist might be _alive_, he wasn't in the best of conditions. 

"Just hold on, Daniel," Jack told the man, feeling along the ground. He was covered in dirt, but he'd been close enough to the tunnel to avoid the majority of the cave in. With fingers feeling about in the dark he finally located not only his gun but the object of his desire. Clicking the flashlight on it flickered somewhat, as if it wasn't sure it planned to _stay_ on, but after a moment the beam of light held steady and true. 

At last, Jack could get his first real good look around. Most of the room was gone, nothing more than a wall of earth. It looked thick and impenetrable. Daniel was the only other person in sight, but from the looks of things his legs were half buried under the newly formed barricade. 

Shifting over to the man, Jack immediately began shifting debris away. "Hey, Daniel, you okay?" He needed to know just how bad things were before he risked digging too deep. 

Thankfully Daniel didn't seem to be completely out of it because he lifted his head and glared at Jack in the dim light snapping, "Does it _look_ like I'm okay?" 

Jack just grinned, and then ducked his head as a shower of dirt cascaded down from above. "Just give me a minute and I'll have you out." 

Daniel didn't respond. He did cry out however as Jack shifted a fairly large rock from off Daniel's left leg. It was good he wasn't parked under the worst of it or Jack might not have been able to risk moving anything, but after several minutes of hard labor Jack had most of the area around Daniel's buried legs uncovered. All except for three heavy blocks that had Jack worried. From the position of one of them they'd be lucky to find Daniel's leg in one piece. 

He paused, examining the best way to go about getting them off. Grimacing, Jack apologized in advance, "Sorry Daniel, but this is going to hurt." 

The anthropologist nodded sharply. His face had already gone a pasty white and Jack could see blood trickling down the corner of Daniel's mouth where he'd bit his lip from the pain. 

Jack repositioned himself to try and lift the rock completely off. Rocking it would only cause more damage; it had to come up and off, or not at all. Taking a deep breath and then exhaling, Jack lifted the heavy block. He could barely get it an inch in the air and he had to shuffle back slowly to avoid loosing his balance, but it _did_ come off. When he finally dropped it again he couldn't feel his fingers they throbbed so much but shaking his limbs out he moved on to next one. He knew if he waited too long he wouldn't be able to do it. 

The second one was lighter than the first, but when Jack lifted the third rock up Daniel actually screamed from the pain and Jack almost dropped it again. 

Taking three steady breaths Jack forced himself to keep moving till it was finally done. At last he sank to the ground next to Daniel, heaving in deep breaths of relief. The Colonel could see the tears streaming down the anthropologist's face but Daniel was biting down hard to keep from crying out again. Sometimes the man was too stubborn for his own good, but Jack didn't think he was qualified to say anything. Besides, the hard part was yet to come. 

Jack was almost afraid to look but he knew he had too. Carefully crouching over Daniel's legs Jack grabbed the flashlight and shone it around. More dirt was falling down to fill in the excavated area but Daniel's legs were whole. Cut, bleeding, and one that was most assuredly broken, but they were still attached and that the best news they could hope for. 

"Jack?" Daniel asked hoarsely before coughing and groaning deeply. 

Looking over his shoulder at him, Jack grinned, saying confidently, "You'll be fine, Daniel." 

The dirt was coming down faster now but Daniel was still wearing his pack so Jack just grabbed the handle and pulled the man back into the tunnel. "Ahhh! Jack!" Much to Jack's delight he saw one of Daniel's legs move as the anthropologist instantly reacted to being pulled over rough terrain when his body would probably much rather have lain as still as possible. 

Now if only Daniel's pack contained something other than books and archeology tools. They hadn't brought their field packs with them. Hell, they didn't even have their vests, which at the least would have given them a bit of morphine. They were on Earth, help was supposed to be but a phone call away. 

Jack blinked. "D'oh!" 

Rummaging through his pockets the Colonel pulled out the blessed cell phone, but it wouldn't turn on. As far as he could tell it wasn't damaged, it just wouldn't turn on. There was nothing, not even the annoying beep and flashing light that indicated his battery was dying. "Daniel, where's your phone?" 

The anthropologist felt inside his pockets, his hands coming out empty. Then shifting to sit up as best he could he took the flashlight and looked around the devastation for himself. "In there I guess." 

Of course. 

***** 

"Colonel?! Daniel? Can anyone hear me?" Sam called out, desperately searching the edges of the cave in. She felt very much like she was caught up in some horrible déjà vu, and just as before, no one was answering her. She limped up and down the wall of dirt, shining her flashlight before her as she tried digging in the area closest to where she remembered people standing. It was hard going and Sam was sure if she shone the flashlight on her arm she'd find it black and blue and bleeding, but she just ignored the pain and kept digging. She'd twisted her ankle diving for the entrance, and the falling rocks had given her several new bruises to consider, but for the most part she'd survived without serious injury. She just couldn't be the only one! 

Suddenly, right where she was digging, the earth started moving on its own. All of a sudden a hand surfaced, pushing desperately at the mud packed dirt. Letting out a choked cry of relief Sam dug even faster, pushing as much of the debris away as she could. Soon the moving hand was followed by an arm and at last a head. It was MacGyver. 

He gasped, drawing in a breath that was half dirt before coughing it out again. "Carter?" He wheezed, squinting at her in the small light. 

She didn't dare say anything just yet for fear she would brake down in tears so she kept digging instead. "Carter," he said again when he could pull in more air, but it sounded labored. They needed to uncover his chest or the weight would suffocate him. "Carter, anyone…" 

Shaking her head Sam dug at the dirt, but more just fell in its place and for a second MacGyver's head was covered again. He moved dirt with his one available hand as frantically as she did till once again his face came into view, but considering how deep they were there wasn't even a chance of them breaking the surface before the entire room filled up. No matter how much she pulled away, more would just fall into place. 

"Boards," MacGyver choked out, waving his one free hand to the entrance. 

"Of course." Sam turned and ran back up the excavated passageway. The sun was hard on her eyes, but she didn't stop to let them adjust. She needed to get MacGyver out. Seeing the stack of wood she grabbed one of the sheets of plywood and raced clumsily back down. It was pitch black before it was light again, but the passageway was fairly short so she just let herself bump against the walls until she could see the dim glow of the flashlight to guide her. 

There was a long minute while she just stood holding the board, her mind unable to work through the numbness. "Sir?" 

MacGyver didn't reply and Sam thought for second that the man had passed out, but then he waved his hand above his head. It took a moment before Sam could force her brain out of the shock it had settled into long enough to actually think clearly. They needed to stop the ground from caving in long enough for her to dig MacGyver out. If she could somehow shore it up or create an archway of sorts… 

Sam lifted the board up and pushed the long edge into the dirt wall about half a foot above MacGyver's head. It didn't go in any further than a couple inches but MacGyver's free hand grabbed the board to hold it up while Sam dug at the dirt above it. That got the board in another couple of inches before the amount of dirt falling on it was too much for her to even try and clear off. 

MacGyver's face was red by the time Carter could get herself under the board. Bracing it with her shoulders she started digging at the ground underneath it, constantly pausing to push at the board forcing it in one inch at a time. 

"Need…more…" MacGyver wheezed out. 

"Don't try to talk, sir," Carter automatically responded. But she knew she wouldn't be able to hold it up herself, much as she wished. If she could just get through the ground around his chest she knew he'd make it. The ground wasn't soft. It was more mud than it was dirt, which made it all that much more dangerous and difficult to move. With numbs fingers Sam leaned against the board as hard as she could. It had to be at least a foot and a half inside the wall of dirt by now. It would have to do. 

With that she felt she could risk digging down again. MacGyver was already doing exactly that but he kept stopping to breathe after each handful. Sam attacked the spot he'd been working on with renewed determination. It paid off as her hand found clothing and she heard as well as felt MacGyver take a longer, deeper breath. She almost sank to the ground in relief. 

"Carter," he said and she finally met his eyes. "Go…get…more…wood." He spoke slowly between careful breaths but he was smiling and she knew that had to be a good sign. 

"Yes, sir." Back up the tunnel she ran, but this time with a little more thought than before. As soon as she was outside, Sam carefully looked around. Fifty feet away where the room should have been, the ground was completely sunken in, leaving about a ten foot ditch, but even from where she stood she knew it would have to fall at least another twenty before they uncovered the actual ruins. 

Pulling out her cell phone Sam dialed the SGC, but instead of ringing as expected the phone beeped at her, displaying the message 'out of range' She tried another number but before it could even dial the message 'no signal' flashed across the screen. 

Sam cursed. This phone was supposed to work from the moon if it had to! Barely resisting the urge to throw it at something, Sam headed back for the entrance, grabbing a couple beams of wood as she went. 

Over an hour later the Major had created a sort of tunnel around MacGyver. He was free from the torso up now but he'd ended up buried at an angle and they were digging so deep into the unstable wall now that Sam was half afraid of what else she might find. 

"They're alive, Sam." MacGyver suddenly stated as if reading her thoughts. 

"Yes, sir," the Major mumbled but she didn't look up. Sam continued to dig. His words had brought tears to her eyes and she just couldn't afford to think about it at the moment or she'd completely break down. It'd been too long. If the others were buried, much as it looked like they were, then they were dead. 

"You have to trust me, Carter." 

Just keep digging. "I do, sir." She would get him out and that was the best she could do, she just had to accept that. 

"You keep calling me sir," MacGyver commented, amused. 

Sam stopped. She was down on her knees working practically underneath him to get his legs free so to look at him she had to back out. He was smiling again. For a man almost completely buried alive and still currently planted in the ground, so to speak, he certainly seemed calm about it. 

"Just call me Mac. I'm a civilian, remember?" 

It was a minute before Sam could say anything. She hadn't even realized that her mind had assumed he was the Colonel even though she knew he wasn't. All at once the shock faded away and Sam sagged in exhaustion. "I'm tired," she stated, feeling as if for the first time just how much her body hurt. Her ankle throbbed like the dickens and the pain in her arm was so bad it was reaching into her chest. 

"Why don't you take a break?" MacGyver gently suggested, and then with a chuckle added, "I'm not going anywhere." 

Sam looked up at him confused and even a little angry. How could he possibly joke at a time like this?! But she was too tired to say anything. Then once more, to her surprise, he confidently told her, "They're alive, Sam." 

"How could…" She trailed off, not really wanting to say it. From what she had seen both above and down here, nearly the entire chamber had collapsed. The Colonel had been by the tunnel, there was a chance he had survived, but to say _everyone_ was alive? "How do you know?" Sam demanded, sheer will alone holding the tears at bay. 

MacGyver didn't stop smiling. "The same way I know that once we're out of here we'll find another entrance into the ruins." 

Sam didn't know how to respond to that. His confidence broke through her despair like a lifeline. But how could he possibly know? Then she remembered how he'd known she was at the door, how they'd _both_ known. Did they have some sort of ESP? The Colonel certainly seemed to have a sense for trouble coming when out in the field. 

Too tired to care she didn't push the issue, but she did take the opportunity to rest. If he said they were alive, she had to believe him, if only to hold herself together. 

***** 

"Are you ready?" 

"No," Daniel fully admitted. Jack nodded, and then set the anthropologist's leg with a single hard jerk. Knowing it was coming hadn't helped to prepare him any. Eying the mess that supposedly was his leg, Daniel had been more than a bit surprised when Jack had told him it wasn't as bad as it looked. The rock's edge had cut down into the leg, snapping it clean across the bone, but Jack had long since managed to get the bleeding under control. Now, with it set, he was creating a splint from his jacket and the broken pieces of a handle of a shovel he'd found further back in the tunnel. 

Wincing, Daniel tried to take his mind off the pain but as he looked up at the formidable wall of earth before him he found he'd much rather feel physical pains rather than deal with the emotional ones. "Do you think they made it out in time?" 

Jack tied the last knot in place and looking over his shoulder at the buried chamber, stated encouragingly, "I'm sure they did." 

But Jack was supposed to say things like that, it comes with being in charge, or so he figured. Then the Colonel was standing back up and brushing himself off. "Do you think you can walk?" he asked. 

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" 

"No." 

With some help Daniel managed to get upright. That was when he realized something. Startled, he stated, "It's the same leg." 

"What?" The Colonel asked, pulling the pack onto his back and slipping under one of Daniel's arms to help him walk. 

"It's the same leg I got shot in," Daniel expounded. Not that it was relevant or anything. The Colonel just grunted and together they moved down the tunnel. Ahead of them the light from the flashlight bounced around against the stone walls. 

Mostly concentrating on hopping forward Daniel didn't stop to look at any of the inscriptions along the passageway until it suddenly opened up before them. At this end was a large room with the opposite side caving in. Daniel could see where the site workers had uncovered a small chamber and a small stone box, which currently lay open on the ground with an identification tag next to it for cataloging. There were a few other items as well, pottery pieces, a bowl, what could have been a pipe, all tagged and lying next to the box. But it was the inscription on the box that had caught Daniel's attention. 

"Jack, this is what the key was in." 

"Really? Cool," Jack said sounding completely unenthused. 

Daniel didn't even bother giving the man a glare he just hopped closer, pulling Jack with him. Then he proceeded to move around the room. Every single wall was covered in writing and while it was in that same ancient goa'uld dialect, from having spent the time translating the inscription around the device from '239, Daniel found he could make out a fair bit. And what he read shocked him. 

"Whoa." 

"What?" 

"Jack, this…" Daniel waved at the wall, excitedly pulling away from the Colonel to get a closer look. 

"Daniel?" Jack drawled out, but the anthropologist didn't answer. He shuffled over to the next section wondering if he was just reading it wrong. Then the light was removed and an irritated Daniel turned to glare at the Colonel. "So?" Jack drawled out again, apparently refusing to give the light back until Daniel answered him. 

"I don't know yet, but it looks like a piece of goa'uld history, _early_ goa'uld history." 

"Okay?" Jack once more asked as if he didn't understand the importance of the possible inscription. Daniel grumbled out some of his frustration. He didn't want to just jump right to an assumption, he had to read it all first. 

"Well I could tell you more if you'd shine the light back on the wall!" Daniel griped. The Colonel made a noise of disagreement pushing the flashlight on Daniel before wandering off. It was a bit awkward holding onto it with one hand while the other steadied himself with the wall, but soon enough Daniel had lost himself in the written record and completely forgot about the various pains across his body. 

"It's a record of when their planet was dying," Daniel finally said, more sure of himself now that he could see it clearly. 

"It looked pretty alive last time we were there," Jack's sarcastic remark floated out to him from the darkness. 

"We think the Goa'uld _evolved_ on P3X-888 but they could have left the planet early on. There wasn't a trace of naquadah on '888, it had to have come from somewhere," Daniel reasoned, even as his mind skipped through the information he'd just gleaned from the walls. "According to this, there were two main social classes. Ah…the Hereta and the Shaya…I think. 

"The, ah, the Hereta were the ruling class. They controlled everything, technology, land, the Keys. Then something happened, something to their planet and the hosts. It says they were forced to take beasts for hosts." 

"Wait! Are you saying that ship we blew up on '239 was full of these goulds?" Jack's voice sounded like it was coming from across the room. Daniel automatically shone the light towards it only to have the Colonel wave frantically at him to get it off his face. 

"The Hereta, to be specific. The record here states that the Shaya overthrew the Hereta's power and banished them." 

"A gould's a gould. Sounds like your standard System Lord bickering to me." 

Daniel turned back to the writing on the walls frowning in consternation. "I don't think there were System Lords back then, Jack. At least, not as we know them. I _think_, this happened before Ra discovered Earth." 

Following his words was the sudden noise of several heavy things falling to the stone floor. At first Daniel thought it was another cave in and he backed quickly against the wall, just in case, but after a moment there was only silence again. "Jack?" 

The Colonel didn't answer. Shining the light around the room finally revealed the Colonel, or at least a part of him. His feet were sticking out of a large hole in the wall, then they, too, disappeared. "Jack?" Daniel repeated, hopping over to the spot as best he could but forced to take the long way around. "Jack?!" 

Just as he approached the dark patch in the wall the Colonel's head appeared, and completely indifferent to the younger man's fear, stated impatiently, "Daniel, give me the flashlight." 

"Jack, what are you doing?" 

"There's a room here on the other side," Jack replied, but it was hard to make out anything else as his voice, as well as the light, quickly trailed away. 

Daniel waited for the Colonel to reappear, or at the very least to say something. Perhaps it was because he was standing on one foot trapped underground in absolute blackness with only the sound of his breathing for comfort, but it didn't take long for the anthropologist to become tired of waiting. Feeling around the wall he found the edges of the newly revealed tunnel, and shifting carefully slid inside. It was big enough for a man to crawl through but since crawling was definitely out of the question right now Daniel sort of slinked his way on his back instead. 

He was probably a good ten feet in before he started thinking better of the idea. How long _was_ this tunnel anyway? After another twenty feet Daniel thought he saw a flicker of light, then all at once his head was hanging over the edge and stale musty air was trying to suffocate him. 

Coughing, he turned onto his side, looking for Jack. The room here wasn't as big as the other one, but as Jack walked around it searching the walls the flickering light kept dancing off something very familiar sitting at the room's center. 

"It's a sarcophagus!" Daniel coughed out surprised. 

"Ya think?" 

Walking over the Colonel put the light down and helped Daniel out of the tunnel. Still staring at the sarcophagus, Daniel hopped over to it. 

"Whoa! Careful there Danny boy, lets not wake him up if we can avoid it!" Jack cautioned. 

Daniel made a face. "I'm not stupid Jack. I'm not going to break the seal." 

"Not _intentionally_, no." Daniel looked at the man not sure how to take Jack's words. Did he really think him such a klutz? Then Jack's shoulders seemed to drop in a sigh and grabbing the light the Colonel joined him, grumbling out, "So what does it say?" 

"What?" Daniel looked back at the sarcophagus. There was gold writing down the front of the goa'uld machine. That was a first. "Ah…Demon Akh, servant of the Hereta." 

"Akh?" Jack asked remarking, "Sounds like someone coughing up a hairball. Why do goulds have such weird names? Yu, Ba'al, _Akh!_" 

Smirking, Daniel was still unable to resist explaining, "Any time you have a change in culture you'll find words with dual meanings. Look how many words in the English language have multiple definitions. There are some words in Japanese that have over _ten_ different meanings-" 

"Daniel?" Jack cut him off and Daniel grinned, glad the light wasn't on him to betray the humor he was showing at Jack's predictable impatience. 

Then Daniel said more seriously, "Akh might know another way out." 

"Trust me, we won't need him. Not if we just-" 

But Jack stopped short. A second later the harsh noise of old and rusted gears reluctantly grinding against each other reverberated through the small room. In their rush to back up Daniel almost tripped but Jack had an arm around him, the other was shining the light on the now moving sarcophagus. 

The seal broke, and as the lid parted Daniel watched in nervous anticipation, not sure what to expect. A human? Or an animal like the seti-like creature from the ship? Then Jack was shoving the flashlight into Daniel's arms so he could pull out his gun. The change in light obscured things for a moment, and by the time Daniel had it righted the goa'uld was nearly out of the sarcophagus. It was a human, tall, male, Native American in appearance with nothing more than a loincloth about his mid section and a pendant hanging from his neck. He looked pissed. 

"Hold it right there!" Jack barked out in order, but the goa'uld ignored him. Daniel opened his mouth to try talking in goa'uld but before he got a chance Jack had opened fire. 

Unfortunately, the bullets never reached their target. The jewel at the center of the goa'uld's pendant glowed purple and the bullets struck a force field much like the ones they'd seen other goa'ulds use. But very unlike the force fields they were used to, this one seemed to actually catch the bullets rather than deflect them. Glaring at them with glowing eyes from behind the shimmering wall of energy, the goa'uld raised his hand. He wore no hand device, but the field seemed to react just the same, and with a flick of his fingers the bullets came shooting back at them. 

Daniel felt the sting as one bullet grazed his cheek, but most hit the wall around him. Jack wasn't so lucky. Daniel saw the Colonel hit the ground hard as a cry of pain echoed around the room. "Jack!" 

The goa'uld moved fast, shoving Daniel to the ground and grabbing the gun from Jack's hand. The flashlight went rolling and Daniel added to the echoes of the room as he landed on his injured leg. 

Squeezing the tears from his eyes Daniel could make out the shadowy forms of the goa'uld and Jack by the wall. From the strangled curses Jack was biting out Daniel guessed the goa'uld had him by the throat. 

Then the goa'uld spoke, in that same dialect the natives of '239 used. "Where is the traitor Ra?" 

"To you, too, Buddy!" Jack growled back, equally as angry. 

"He wants to know where Ra is," Daniel quickly translated. 

"Ra's dead!" Jack exclaimed to the goa'uld, but then cried out in pain. 

Once again the goa'uld repeated, "Where is the traitor Ra!" It was then Daniel realized the goa'uld didn't know English. Of course he wouldn't know English! 

The anthropologist quickly replied, stumbling through the older dialect as he spoke, "Ra is dead! The traitor is gone!" 

Daniel could see the glowing eyes turn on him, and with a thud Jack fell to the ground, trying to groan and cough at the same time. Nervously Daniel backed up as best he could. He wouldn't be able to get back up on his good foot by himself. At least it got the goa'uld's attention off of Jack. 

"I am Akh. Tell me, Tau'ri, have the Hereta returned?" 

"No. They ah, they're gone." Daniel answered nervously. His eyes flickered around the room. Jack was getting up off the floor. He was hunched over and clutching his side, but he was mobile. Wanting to keep the attention away from the Colonel Daniel quickly added, "The Shaya killed them." 

"Impossible!" Akh exploded furious. "They wouldn't dare! Where is the key, Tau'ri?!" 

"Stolen, by Heru'ur!" Daniel lied. Jack was across the room now and Daniel could see him pushing on a portion of the wall. 

"I know not this Heru'ur," Akh growled out, then reaching down he grabbed Daniel's shirt pulling him a couple feet off the ground. 

Biting his tongue to keep from crying out, Daniel exclaimed, "He's Ra's son!" 

Daniel could no longer see what Jack was doing. His eyes were completely locked on the goa'uld mere inches from his face. "He's the traitor Ra's son," Daniel tried again. 

Akh studied him with a murderous expression. After a moment the goa'uld stated, "Much time has passed since I was imprisoned here." He didn't sound as angry as before but Daniel wasn't so sure that was a good thing. His worst fears were confirmed when Akh gave him a sinister smile and stated, "I shall have to take your body as mine to learn all that has transpired." 

"You don't need to do that, I can just tell you," Daniel stammered, fear washing through him. 

Not dissuaded, the goa'uld lifted Daniel higher, ordering, "Submit to me!" 

Daniel turned away from the glowing eyes, clenching his jaw and steeling himself for what was to come next. It wasn't what he expected. 

"Ow!" Daniel hit the floor hard, once again jarring his injured leg. Blinking furiously against the pain he found Akh next to him, shaking his head dazed, with Jack leaning over them both. Jack must have hit Akh over the head, but it wouldn't keep a goa'uld down for long. 

"Come on!" Jack exclaimed even as he grabbed Daniel's arm and half dragged him across the room. 

What did Jack hope to do? They couldn't get back through the tunnel in time; they only had seconds, _if_ that. Yet Jack wasn't pulling him to the tunnel. Across the room where Daniel had seen Jack pushing at the wall was another opening. He couldn't believe it, it was a small chamber, not all that big, but big enough to fit the two of them inside it. There would still be the issue of the goa'uld dragging them back out again, but the Colonel seemed determined. "Jack, how is this going to help?" 

"Daniel, get in will ya?" 

He didn't really have a choice as Jack practically stuffed him into the cramped space. Biting his lip again in reaction to his body's protests at being so recklessly handled, Daniel watched the inevitable happen. Ahk had gotten over the sting of Jack's assault and was rising to his feet. Clearly realizing there was really nowhere for them to go, the goa'uld made no hurry to approach them. 

Jack looked at the goa'uld over his shoulder, then, giving the snake a two finger salute, Jack dove into the crowded space next to Daniel. Much to the anthropologist's surprise, as soon as Jack was in something slid shut, cutting off all light, not to mention sealing them in. That was when Daniel realized the little room they were in wasn't really a room, but a large metal box. 

The researcher in him wondered what the box was for and if there had been anything in here when Jack found it, even while the rest of him demanded, "Where are we?!" 

"I found it while you were talking to Achoo out there," Jack replied. 

Daniel was about to correct him when a loud and very _angry_ sounding thump hit the wall of their little sanctuary. "Ah, Jack? What's to stop Akh from _finding_ it, too?" 

Sounding amazingly calm the Colonel simply replied, "The lock won't open for him." 

"Why not?" 

Another boom vibrated around them, louder than the first. 

Unfazed Jack said, "Because it won't." 

Again, a third impact reverberated through the box and for a second Daniel thought it might have dented the metal door. 

Daniel opened his mouth to repeat his question of 'why not?' but predicting Jack's response changed his tactics. "How do you _know_ it won't open for him?" 

"Because it won't open again for us, either." 

Blinking hard in the blackness, Daniel felt a string of questions rise to the tip of his tongue. One above the rest. "What?!" He no longer thought of this little hideaway as a sanctuary, but rather a prison, or maybe even a tomb. 

"Don't worry," Jack said cheerfully. "As long as the air runs out in less than seven hours we should be just fine." 

"As long as it runs _out_ in less than seven hours?" Daniel asked incredulous, but only silence answered him. 

----- 

Author's Post Story Note: Before ya ask, I _didn't_ forget about our lovable jaffa. He just wasn't in those scenes. *evil grin* 


	12. in a box, again

Author's Note: Well, here we go, chapter 12. A huge thanks to my patient beta readers, Sealrescuer, and Dimac99. Plus a big thank you and mucho appreciation to the readers sticking with me through this monster. Happy to say I think we're actually half way. There's still a lot to get out of my head and on screen, but you'll also be happy to know you get a bit of explanation with this chapter. :) Unfortunately, I don't foresee myself finishing chapter 13 for you before the end of the week. RL walloped me a good one. *blah! Evil RL!* *In the immortal words of my ex-roommate, 'I set you on fire!'* 

----- 

MacGyver was cold, numb, tired, and having a hard time keeping himself from just collapsing. Unfortunately, his leg probably wouldn't bend that way if he did, nor did he think Major Carter would appreciate him falling on her. Why on Earth did he have to get buried at an angle, MacGyver silently demanded to any entity listening. Then quickly he added, No pun intended. 

They had uncovered most of him now. There was just one leg left that was deeply rooted into the wall of Earth. The structure around him, now several pieces of wood, each of which were holding each other up, kept the tumbling masses of dirt at bay, but one knock and the whole thing would come apart. Then they'd both end up buried. MacGyver tried not to think about that. 

He pushed at the stack of wood Sam had brought him to lean on, trying to give her that little bit more room. MacGyver couldn't see more than legs as she, in his opinion, courageously risked being in his little cubbyhole with him to get the remaining leg unstuck. 

Considerable time had passed to get them this far. Nearly four hours of constant digging, and other than the occasional break Mac could talk the Major into taking, she'd done pretty much all the work. MacGyver felt helpless, but he hadn't been able to reach much, and she'd insisted he'd only hurt himself worse if he tried, so she'd taken on the task herself. 

Am I hurt? Mac wondered. There were no shooting pains running through him as far as he could tell, he was just cold. _Incredibly_ cold. So much so that he didn't even feel Sam's hands around his ankle until she gave it a hard yank. 

Bending around as much as possible he asked, hopeful, "Want me to try wiggling it?" 

"Hold on. Let me get out first," Sam stated, and then slid out, sitting on the ground and brushing her hands off before nodding to him to proceed. "Okay. Go ahead." 

He pulled, wiggled, pulled some more, and at last the errant limb came free. He half-fell, half-crawled out of his earth-made prison, feeling a wash of relief sweep over him as he did. Grinning dopily at Sam, Mac said brightly, "Thank you, Major, this feels much better!" 

She returned his smile, but one good look at her told him she was ready to collapse. Just then one of the boards shifted, and with ominous sounds of wood breaking the entire area they had just excavated collapsed. 

Mac and Sam backed up as quickly as they could until their backs hit the wall. In shock they sat staring at the devastation. Except for the broken pieces of wood sticking out of the dirt, a person wouldn't even be able to tell that they'd worked on that spot at all. 

"I'm glad that happened now and not before," Sam shakily murmured. 

"Ya, me, too," Mac replied grimly, but he couldn't stop himself from looking at his watch. Four hours since he and Jack had been separated, but how far did they have to go to _really_ be separate? 

"Where are you hurt?" 

"What?" Mac asked, startled, looking at Sam's questioning gaze momentarily confused. Then he looked down at his body. He almost couldn't see it in the dim light, not with all the mud plastered on him. Feeling around carefully, Mac found a few cuts and several areas that seemed tender although they didn't hurt, yet. Finger and toe check came out positive. For having been buried under a mountain of dirt he was amazingly uninjured. The only way that was possible would be if every single one of the falling stones that had made up the roof of the room had missed him. 

He would be that lucky, but would anyone else? Finally turning to Sam, Mac grinned, telling her, "Other than a mild case of hypothermia I think I'm all right." Then pointedly looking down at the Major's arm added, "Better than you, I bet." 

Sam followed his gaze down and grimaced. "I'm trying not to think about it." 

"Well you can now. So let's get topside and call in the professionals." 

Sam looked up and MacGyver could hear the sudden panic in her voice, "What about finding the back way in? You said we'd find an alternate way into the ruins." 

"We will, but we can't do this on our own, Sam," Mac stated, needing to convince himself of it as well. Calling in a rescue team would in turn betray Jack's and his particular relationship, but he'd been thinking from the beginning that somehow it would all come out in the end anyway. Now was as good a time as any. "Come on." 

They helped each other get to their feet and slowly made their way up the short tunnel to the surface. The sun was high in the bright clear sky. The warmth felt good on Mac's chilled face and for the first time he allowed himself to shiver. 

"I've got a first aid kit in my jeep," Mac stated, blinking to let his eyes adjust. The Major merely nodded. Now that they were in the light Mac could see she looked as mud coated as he did, but there was a large gash across her arm, adding dried blood to the dark splotches that covered them. 

They were halfway across the site when Mac suddenly tripped. It was like his feet had just decided to stop working. It took him completely by surprise and in automatic reaction he'd grabbed out at the closest thing to him. Major Carter. Inevitably they both fell heavily to the ground, but even as they did Mac heard the very distinct sounds of gun fire, the bullets traveling right where their heads used to be. 

"What the…!" Sam began, but both of them, not exactly foreigners to being shot at, were quickly scrambling to their feet to get behind the bulldozer parked close by them. The Major immediately pulled out her gun, and rising up on her knees looked over the edge of their cover, carefully scanning the site. "I don't see anyone," she stated a moment later. 

This wasn't a good place to stay; there were just too many places for shooters to hide, what with the abandoned equipment, materials, and temporary structures everywhere. "We can't stay here," Mac stated, also looking around, checking behind them while Carter continued to scan for the source of the gunfire. 

Then a voice called out to them. "MacGyver! Where is the Key?!" 

Sam immediately pointed her gun in the direction of the voice, but she held off from opening fire. Furling her brows, she glanced at Mac, asking, "Who are these guys?" 

Mac sighed. "They're the ones who killed James, my friend." He had hoped he'd seen the last of them in Colorado but he really should have figured they'd be watching for his return, considering how fanatical they were about the Key. Now that he knew what he did, he wondered strongly if they knew about the Stargate as well. 

"Do they know what the Key really is?" Sam asked, apparently thinking the same thing Mac was. 

He shook his head. "I'm not sure, but they didn't seem to when I _talked_ with them before. In fact, they weren't really to clear on _why_ they wanted it at all. By the way, where _are_ the Keys?" 

"In my backpack," the Major told him making a wry expression. "Back in the ruins." 

"Oh. Buried?" 

"No." 

"Okay, good." He didn't really want to have to dig them out. Then he spotted movement between two tall stacks of lumber. Grabbing Sam's shoulder he pulled her to the ground just as bullets peppered the bulldozer's side. The Major returned fire immediately, forcing the shooter to quickly retreat. 

"We can't stay here," Mac stated again. Looking around and spying a portable generator with the propane tank still attached, he quickly suggested, "If we rig this bulldozer to run on its own-" 

"And we put the propane tank on the seat, I can shoot it from a distance creating a distraction," Sam cut in, easily picking up on his plan. 

"Hopefully it'll give us enough time to get to my jeep." 

Sam frowned. "We can't leave the others here." 

"We can't help them right now, either. They're safer where they are anyway," Mac argued. "Who knows, maybe we'll be able to draw them away with us." 

It only took them a couple minutes to detach the propane tank from the generator and strap it onto the bulldozer's seat. The weight of the tank would keep the dead man's switch on and a simple piece of wood stuck between the seat and the pedal would keep the construction vehicle moving. MacGyver pulled out his Swiss Army knife, and fitting it into the keyhole started the engine. 

"Aren't you afraid of breaking the blade?" Sam asked, giving him a curious look. 

"Haven't yet." 

They put the machine into the correct gear and jammed the stick in place. Bulldozers by nature are not fast machines, but it obediently trudged along ahead of them at a speedy 5 miles an hour. 

Almost immediately bullets started ricocheting off the machine as their anonymous shooters opened fire. If they kept that up they wouldn't need the Major to shoot the tank, these guys would do it for them. Mac just hoped it wasn't while they were still standing next to it. 

Seeing an opening as they passed one of the site tents, MacGyver tugged at the Major's arm to get her attention. All it took was a glance from her and they were running, low to the ground and as fast as their stiff and sore limbs would carry them. Taking shelter some distance away, they could still hear the guns going off. Most of the shots had seemed poorly aimed and Mac had the impression the shooters weren't exactly trained gunmen. Then Carter was pulling him down and whispering frantically, "I just thought of something. What if the explosion causes another cave in?" 

But it was too late to change their plans as the explosive noise of the tank erupting filled the clearing, quickly followed by a moment of pure silence. That always seemed to happen after an explosion of any magnitude, Mac reflected, knowing it wouldn't last. "Come on." 

They made a beeline for MacGvyer's jeep which was still tucked away in the trees. Unfortunately, neither of them ever got that far. 

Mac felt his foot catch on something, and helpless to stop it, he hit the ground for a second time that day. Only, this time the ground wasn't quite where his trip would end. 

It was as if the Earth had literally opened up and swallowed him whole. Mac grabbed at anything and everything trying to stop his decent down the rough walled and very unnatural well. When he finally did stop it was because he'd hit rock bottom, so to speak. It had to be the ceiling to one of the ruin's chambers, but which one he wasn't sure. They were clear on the other side of the site now, and last he checked there _were_ only two. 

Looking up he saw the Major's head appear over the newly discovered hole. He waved at her frantically, trying to tell her go without yelling it. That would surely give her position away and it would take them too long to get him out of this predicament. 

Thankfully, a second later she disappeared. MacGyver waited with baited breath, straining to hear any sounds that might indicate their pursuers had succeeded in capturing Sam, but only the occasional muffled noise carried down to him. 

Sighing, Mac felt around at the stone and the mud hardened walls. There was about a foot of water at the bottom of this tunnel, but that didn't make much difference to his already cold feet. Well, at any rate, it looked like he'd probably found their alternate way in. Now if only he could figure out how to open the back door. 

***** 

"So, tell me, _Dexter_, where do you come from?" 

Jack wanted to groan, and not just from the pain in his side. "Daniel, try not to talk. It'll use up more air." Jack shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position. He'd swear that bullet had hit the exact same spot as the last one. 

"I thought you wanted the air to run out?" Daniel asked, his voice practically dripping with sarcasm. 

Momentarily closing his eyes, Jack sighed. It was getting harder and harder to resist just telling Daniel, especially with these kinds of questions. Why on Earth did Mac have to choose a name like _Dexter?!_ "I don't _want_ it to run out, Daniel. Then we would die," Jack pointedly stated. 

"Well it's probably a moot point now anyway," Daniel grumbled sullenly. 

Jack couldn't see anything in the blackness that engulfed them, but he turned to the anthropologist anyway. "What do you mean?" 

"Jack, this box isn't exactly all that big. The air should have run out long ago," Daniel told him, and then asked again, "So where are you from?" 

"You know where I'm from," Jack grumbled, but he was trying to twist around to check the door that had sealed behind them. It wasn't easy, and if he wasn't careful he'd open his wound again. Yet there it was, right where Akh had been hitting it, a bend deep enough to have pulled the metal door away from its panel on one side. It still wouldn't open, but it was enough to allow some air in. 

"Looks like Hairball out there actually managed to put a dent in this thing," Jack commented, straightening again. 

"I'm not sure what would be better, dying at the hands of a goa'uld, or starving to death," Daniel remarked. 

Jack made a face. "We're not going to starve to death, Daniel." 

"It's not really so inconceivable, Jack. Even after we don't make our check in tomorrow it'll still take time for the General to get anyone over here, and then they'll still have to excavate the site again. They can't just dig a hole or the whole structure might collapse, and really, it's not like they have any idea where we are." 

"Well aren't we the pessimist today," Jack remarked, and if things were normal he'd probably agree, but nothing was ever normal anymore. "We're going to get out of here, Daniel, trust me." 

"And how do you _know_ we'll get out of here?" Daniel demanded. 

"Because," Jack fudged, looking for a plausible answer. "I'm a Colonel, and us Colonels know things like that." 

Daniel snorted. "Ya right." Then after a minute Daniel dropped the sarcasm and asked seriously. "Come on Jack. Who are you? Really?" 

"Daniel, you _know_ who I am," Jack told him. He was starting to get a headache. From the thin air or loss of blood he wasn't sure but it was putting a real strain on his usual stubbornness. 

"You're not Dexter Fillmore, are you?" 

Jack sighed. He was too tired for this. "No." 

"So who is MacGyver?" 

Putting a hand to his forehead Jack tried to push the headache away, but it wasn't working so well. "He's me." Jack finally answered. He couldn't believe he actually admitted to it, but he just couldn't handle lying to his team anymore. Maybe if they knew part of the truth they'd be willing to leave it at that. 

Several minutes passed in complete silence. Daniel was no doubt trying to figure out what Jack meant. Then, finally, Daniel probed, asking slowly, "He's a clone or copy of you?" 

"Nope. We're the same guy." 

"He's you from a different reality?" 

"Wrong again." Jack grinned bleakly into the blackness. This was starting to feel like Twenty Questions. "Like I said, we're the same guy." 

"Like two halves of the same coin?" Daniel asked, clearly disbelieving. 

"Ah, but that would indicate we're different. And we're not. Not genetically anyway." 

Again there was just silence, but Jack could feel Daniel squirming in frustrated confusion. Taking pity on the man, Jack took a deep breath and explained, "Mac's parents and my parents both went to a fertility clinic where this guy, Ralph Gents, was conducting his own experiments on unsuspecting parents. The wacko wanted to create two _exactly_ identical people." The reason why still gave Jack nightmares. 

"So you're a test tube baby?" 

Jack threw a glare in Daniel's general direction and caustically quipped, "It sounds so _glamorous_ when you put it like that." 

"Sorry," Daniel murmured, but the curiosity was still there. 

"Mac and I weren't the only unsuspecting products of this experiment; we were just the only ones who actually lived past the age of five. You know," Jack said with frustration, "we don't even know who the real donors were?" This conversation was really starting to dredge up thoughts long since buried. 

"Jack, I'm sorry," Daniel quietly said. Then after a minute of silence the anthropologist asked almost hesitantly, "Did Gents work at FamilyView?" Jack glowered even while he internally chuckled. "Been doing some research, huh?" 

"Can you really blame us? It was obvious you and Mac have been hiding something." 

Jack could easily hear the anger in Daniel's voice, and in all honesty, he couldn't blame them, he'd probably have done the same thing, but there were some secrets better left uncovered. "So what else did you find out?" Jack asked, keeping his voice carefully steady. 

"Not much," Daniel admitted reluctantly. "Just that when you and Mac were nine you both went missing and that during that time this FamilyView place blew up." 

Sighing, Jack knew Daniel was waiting for an answer, but the Colonel didn't know how much he should say. 

"Jack?" 

Guess he was taking too long to think about it. "It was the first time Mac and I ever met," Jack finally said. "Before that we had no idea what was going on. Daniel, we were just kids, Mac was just trying to get us out. He didn't _mean_ to blow up the whole building." Or my house, Jack internally grumbled. 

Daniel didn't say anything so Jack just continued on. "Anyway, after that, well, we didn't really want anyone _else_ to start poking us with needles so we went home and pretended like none of it ever happened." 

Again his words were followed by silence. Jack was _sure_ the anthropologist would continue hounding him with questions. After a few minutes Jack asked, somewhat worried now, "Daniel?" 

"This is why you hate scientists, isn't it?" Daniel asked quietly, sounding more subdued than Jack would have expected. 

Before the Colonel had a chance to reply their box suddenly vibrated. It was gone a second later, but it had each of them immediately worried. "What was that?" Daniel asked alarmed. 

"The rescue team, one would hope." But Jack wasn't so sure. He'd been in the middle of combat enough times to know what things felt like when something exploded. And he didn't think a rescue team would risk such a thing. 


	13. earthquake

Author's Notes: Okay, RL sucks! Lol. Actually, it sucked a week ago, this week I got myself all pieced back together (with some help) and wrote not only chapter 13, but 14 as well, so as soon as 14 is back from the betas I'll post it for ya, and hopefully by then, I will be able to keep up on the writing. :D 

Author's Notes2: Thank you readers and reviewers and a huge thank you to my beta readers Dimac99 and Sealrescuer. All of your continued encouragement and comments keep me and my muse all warm and fuzzy throughout the winter months. :D 

-----

Teal'c felt the slight tremor, but placing a hand flat against the wall revealed nothing. Either it was a singular event, or he had some time before the next one would occur. Cautiously, the jaffa continued his search. 

He had regained consciousness only recently, not expecting to regain it at all. He no longer had his hand held light. So as soon as he was able, Teal'c explored the room he had awoken in proving it was not, in fact, the same room he had previously occupied. The weight of the cave-in had caused a portion of the floor to collapse, spilling the jaffa and an extensive amount of earth down into the room below. 

Teal'c moved cautiously around it now. There were a few lingering pains in his arms and legs, but his symbiote had already restored much of his health. It was now necessary for him to find a way out, should the others require assistance. 

The room was not large and the walls all seemed to be made of smooth stone blocks. Whether there was writing on them or not, Teal'c was unsure, but his fingers could feel nothing to indicate as such. They did however find a crack between two stones where the slightest breath of air brushed against his fingers. Applying pressure to the stones caused them to move, and with a hard shove a section of the wall fell in. 

Feeling about, Teal'c found the entrance to a tunnel. Clearing the rocks away and crawling through the small space uncovered yet another room, as seemingly empty as the first. 

With time and effort, the jaffa found five more rooms, all empty, and attached by connecting tunnels. Then at last, Teal'c found what he'd been hoping for, a tunnel that led up, presumably to the level above. 

Pushing the rocks out of his way, Teal'c pulled himself through. He had long since become used to the lack of light. Master Bra'tac had taught him long ago never to rely solely upon his sense of sight, so it was with confident steps that he began searching the new room. 

He found another tunnel in what he reasoned was the direction of the cave in, and slowly made his way through. As he exited the tunnel, he saw his first hope that his companions had survived the disaster. 

"O'Neill?" Teal'c questioned into the darkness. 

The glow of a dying light permeated the room, casting soft shadows on everything as it moved about. It was not bright enough to reveal who the holder was, and as it was turned on the jaffa, Teal'c had to close his eyes against the sudden brightness. 

Squinting against the approaching light, Teal'c wondered why it was not moved away from his face, but then something else penetrated his senses and the jaffa knew at once things were not as he had first thought. 

"Where are my friends?" Teal'c demanded. He no longer had his weapon, but he would fight this goa'uld to the death if need be. 

The goa'uld responded, talking in that same odd dialect the natives of P5X-239 used. It was hard for Teal'c to understand at first, but the intention was clear enough. The goa'uld was asking who he was. 

"I am Teal'c. Where are my friends?" the jaffa again demanded, this time in goa'uld. 

At last the light was lowered and Teal'c could see the goa'uld clearly. He was nearly naked, and the pendent hanging from his neck glowed with a faint purple light. It looked like a piece of goa'uld technology, but was not one the jaffa recognized. The goa'uld's eyes glowed briefly in anger as they squared off. "Shaya, you shall pay for your betrayal." 

"I know not who this Shaya is." 

The goa'uld looked at him in shock, demanding, "Are you not goa'uld?" 

"No," Teal'c responded, wondering at the goa'uld's confusion. "I am jaffa." But that didn't seem to clear anything up. 

Face hardening with anger, the goa'uld stated, "I am Akh, loyal servant of the Hereta. Who do you serve?" 

"I serve no one," Teal'c growled out, and then boldly declared, "I will not serve false gods!" 

"Gods?" Akh questioned, again not understanding. And then, frustrated and impatient, the goa'uld reached for Teal'c. Stepping away, Teal'c was quick to strike back. He had been taught to fight with or without a weapon, as all jaffa were. 

The goa'uld had the superior strength, but Teal'c was quick, and far more agile than most believed. He had successfully knocked the goa'uld to the ground and had his hands around the goa'uld's head. All he had to do was break the neck and the threat would be over, but before he could finish it, a surge of energy, much like that of a zat'nik'tel, washed through him, driving him back. 

With a gasp, the jaffa fell to the ground, but the shock of the energy was quickly fading, and looking up, he watched Akh rise to his feet. For a moment it looked as if the goa'uld was glowing purple, but the effect soon localized to just the crystal pendant. 

Sneering down at him, the goa'uld stated, "You cannot touch me. I am a servant of the Hereta." 

Teal'c slowly stood up, never taking his eyes from the goa'uld. He was not familiar with who or what the Hereta were, but he did not care. He would find his friends, and then they would kill this 'Akh.' 

"Tell me, _jaffa_, where is the traitor Ra?" Akh asked him. 

"The false god Ra is dead." 

Akh sneered again, and then demanded, "And where is the Key?" 

"I know not," Teal'c answered truthfully. 

"Then you will show me a way out of this place," Akh ordered. 

Teal'c felt his jaw clench in anger. He would not help any goa'uld, but as Akh had said, he could not touch him. Not yet. He also needed to find his friends and assist them. With considerable restraint, Teal'c finally replied. "It was this way." 

***** 

Sam crouched in the bushes at the edge of the site's clearing. The oddest assortment of men and women were running around. About ten in total. When they had first shown up, Carter had half expected to discover some underhanded agency like the NID, was involved in this somehow, but none of these people seemed the type. No one wore uniforms or dressed in black, nothing of that sort. Three were wearing business suits while the rest were in an assortment of everyday wear. One man even had a cooking apron around his waist. Mind you, he also seemed to favor a carving knife instead of the gun everyone else was sporting. 

In fact, the only common denominator among them was that they all had Native American features, some more strongly than others. 

Ducking lower, Sam held her breath while the 'chef' walked by. As yet, they hadn't discovered MacGyver, and Sam intended to keep it that way. She'd tried to make a getaway in Mac's jeep, but when she got to it she discovered it had a flat. She was now trying to make her way around to their rental, but with this unorganized group, it wasn't the easiest task. 

Waiting till the coast was clear, Sam darted back into the construction site, hiding behind one of the outhouses. She was about to dash across to the stack of lumber when the proverbial twig snapped behind her, freezing the Major in her tracks. 

"H-hold it!" A very nervous and young sounding voice called out. 

Cautiously, Sam raised her hands, her gun held loosely in her right hand as she turned to face him. "Don't shoot," she said, knowing just how trigger itchy these people seemed to be. 

It was one of the suits. The gun in his hand shook and he'd gone white in the face, but he was only three feet away and Sam didn't think a shot from there, even one so badly aimed, was likely to miss. "D-drop y-your gun," the man stammered. 

Sam complied, and then took a half step towards him. He didn't seem to notice, so Sam took another half step closer. She hoped that if she got close enough and something distracted him, she'd be able to disarm the guy. 

It was a nice thought anyway, but right when she thought she'd have her chance, the chef showed up. "Who's this?" 

"I-I d-don't know," the nervous young suit answered. 

Then the chef asked Sam, "Where's MacGyver?" 

"I don't know," Sam easily repeated with a thin smile. 

The suit's hand shook even harder as he asked, "W-what do we d-do?" 

The chef shrugged. "Take her to Nathan I guess." Then he scowled and took the gun from the suit's trembling hands, exclaiming, "Give me that before you hurt yourself!" 

The young suit sagged with relief, and it was as if several years dropped off his face. He couldn't be much older than twenty, Sam realized. Unfortunately, the chef was much older and far more comfortable pointing the gun at Sam, in spite of his preference for knives. He motioned her to walk ahead of him, and Sam had to wonder, for what was probably the hundredth time that day, just who were these guys? 

Nathan turned out to be a man in his early thirties and perhaps one of the few full blood Native Americans there. "Who's this?" 

"She hasn't said yet," the chef answered, pushing Sam down onto one of the picnic benches in the area. The chef, the suit, Nathan, and a Caucasian woman circled around her. 

"I'm Nathan Redfield, who are you?" Nathan questioned with a frown. 

"Major Samantha Carter, US Air Force," Sam told him coldly, hoping to intimidate them. 

The suit and the woman exchanged nervous looks, but the chef merely tucked his blade under his apron while Nathan raised an eyebrow, mildly startled. "Air Force?" He repeated, not really asking. "How do you know MacGyver?" 

"He's a friend." 

"And where is he?" 

"I don't know," Sam lied. 

Nathan seemed to consider her for a minute, and then turning to the other woman asked, "Maggie, Jimmy has handcuffs, doesn't he?" 

"I think so," Maggie slowly replied, giving Sam a nervous glance. 

"Go get them." Nathan told her, and then turning to the other two ordered, "Keep looking for MacGyver." As they left, Nathan pulled out a 9mm from his jacket and, standing a cautious distance from Sam, stated, "Get up and I won't hesitate to shoot you." 

"What is it that you want?" Sam asked him. 

"MacGyver took something from this site and it's our job to get it back." 

"Your job?" 

Nathan shrugged. "A family curse, if you will." 

"Then you're all related," Sam guessed, understanding now the reason for their similarities. The natives on '239 seemed to have descended from Native American heritage as well. She was tempted to ask if they had any odd tattoos hiding on their personages, but held back. 

The woman, Maggie, showed up again, a pair of cuffs in hand which she quickly fastened around Sam's wrists, connecting them, one on either side of a table leg, and effectively trapping her there. 

After that, Nathan again sent the woman off to join in the search, and seeing Sam as no threat, he put his gun away, sitting down next to her on the bench. "It would be better if you told us where MacGyver is. I'm afraid you don't understand what is as stake here." 

"Then why don't you enlighten me?" Sam grumbled, slumping back against the table. Even after all the times she'd ended up as someone's prisoner, she still hated the feeling of helplessness that always surfaced. It was all the more worse not knowing if her teammates were okay. The sun was hanging in the sky now; they only had a couple hours of sunlight left. Then what would happen? 

"Well," Nathan said, pulling Sam's attention away from her moody thoughts. The man chuckled. "You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you." 

Sam looked at him, startled. "Try me." 

Regarding her carefully, Nathan took a deep breath and said, "The artifact that MacGyver has is in truth a key to the end of all things." 

"As in…everything?" Sam asked skeptically, but Daniel had said they were called the Keys of Time. That could easily translate to 'the end of all things' in _her_ mind. 

"It is said that those who find the Key will unleash demons just prior to the end. It was given to my family to prevent that from ever happening. So you see, it is imperative that we find MacGyver and the artifact." 

Sam closed her eyes for a moment, confused. "But if you're trying to save the world, why are you killing people?" 

Anger briefly flashed across Nathan's face. "It was not my wish to see people hurt, but we do not take our responsibility lightly. It was my brother who killed Steel, and who MacGyver has killed in return." Nathan stood up again, his face hard with suppressed grief. "Tell me honestly, do you know where MacGyver is?" 

"No." But it was obvious he didn't believe her. 

Nathan didn't say anything at first, but as he turned his back on her, Sam heard him confidently say, "We will find him eventually." 

***** 

So far MacGyver had heard four people walk by his little pit, but as yet, no one had discovered it. "And they probably won't," Mac murmured to himself. He was sitting in the foot of water now, not really caring just how muddy or wet he got. Most of the earth covering the stone blocks was thick clay, but there was a small tunnel about the size of his arm that ran along the top of the stones, carrying the water elsewhere. 

He was trying to enlarge that tunnel, but the problem with digging while at the bottom of a deep hole was figuring out where to put things, himself included. Plopping yet another handful of clay against the mud wall beside him, MacGyver reevaluated his situation. 

The water had to be going somewhere. A slow leak into the chamber below, most likely. If he could just get one of the stone blocks loose enough, he could collapse the chamber's ceiling, letting himself in. "That's pretty big 'if,'" Mac quietly admitted. 

Sighing heavily, MacGyver wondered just how long it had been since they had all met up this morning. The light hadn't been the best to begin with, but he could tell it was getting darker. "A little help here?" MacGyver called out softly, just in case some entity was listening in. 

Apparently someone was, because a moment later the ground started to shake. MacGyver scrambled to his feet. It was one thing to wait out an earthquake on the surface, quite another when you were at the bottom of a pit. "Aww man!" Mac exclaimed. "This isn't quite what I meant!" 

But the earthquake didn't let up, and as the shaking became even more violent, Mac heard the expected cracking of the stones below him. All at once the water drained completely, and closing his eyes in dread and anticipation, Mac felt his footing give way as the chamber's ceiling caved in. Once again, MacGyver was swallowed up by the Earth. 

***** 

"Ah, Jack? Is it just me or is the ship shaking?" Daniel questioned nervously. 

"We're not on a ship, Daniel." 

Daniel blinked, and then braced himself as best he could against the side of the box. "So this is a real earthquake this time?" 

"Yep. It's a real earthquake," Jack confirmed. 

And then the shaking got worse. "Ah, Jack?" Daniel was trying his best not to panic, but it'd been hard enough being trapped in a box underground. Trapped in a box underground in the middle of an earthquake was just a little over the top for him. 

"Daniel, kick at the door. Maybe we can get it open." 

"But what about-" 

"Daniel! Just kick!" 

***** 

Teal'c was the first out of the connecting tunnel when the shaking began. He had no idea what room he was in, and the goa'uld had the hand held light, which was flickering about the tunnel as the ground tossed them about. The jaffa lost his footing, bringing him down hard to the ground, but as he did, his hand came across something he would not have expected to be there. 

It was a gun. 

The echo of a sharp bang reverberated around the room, startling Teal'c. Several more sharp sounds followed but Teal'c could not see the source of the noise. The goa'uld was now struggling to exit the tunnel, a process made far more difficult as the shaking intensified. 

Akh lost his grip on the light and it went clattering across the room. Not wishing to loose his advantage, Teal'c pushed himself back to his feet. With the gun in hand, he lunged for the goa'uld. He felt the energy beginning its assault, but guided by the purple light, Teal'c put the gun against the goa'uld's chest and fired. 

The noise of the gunfire and the Akh's resulting scream seemed to penetrate the walls as violently as the Earth's continued vibrations. Then the protective wave of energy coated Teal'c, and he crumpled to the ground. 

It took several minutes for the effects to wear off, by which time the earthquake had dissipated and Akh had fled back through the adjoining tunnel. To die alone, the jaffa hoped. The shaking had stopped, but the sharp banging had not, and looking around, Teal'c finally discovered the cause of the noise. 

Picking up the gun again, the jaffa prepared for what could very well be another goa'uld. There was a sarcophagus in the center of this room, and at the far end were two skeletons next to a long thin metal door, like the side of a burial box, the Jaffa reflected. 

The metal door was the source of the noise, and Teal'c could see where it was starting to give from the pressure repeatedly banging against it. At last, the door finally gave way, and bending outward, hit the ground with a heavy clang. Four familiar feet appeared, followed quickly by two very familiar faces. 

"O'Neill!" Teal'c happily called out. 

"Teal'c?" O'Neill answered, coughing slightly as he and DanielJackson sagged against the wall. "I thought I heard a gunshot." 

"I have injured the goa'uld, Akh," Teal'c told him, quickly approaching, sorrowed to see that both men were badly injured. 

Clutching his side, O'Neill blinked up at him, giving the jaffa a relieved smile. "Sweet!" 

DanielJackson was looking around and had spotted the two long since decayed corpses. A severely pained expression creased his face and Teal'c heard the anthropologist murmur, "I'm glad I didn't ask." 

"Come on, let's get out of here," O'Neill stated taking a step towards the tunnel. 

Teal'c stopped him, informing them, "The way is still blocked." 

"Then how did you get in?" 

"I did not. I have yet to leave." 

Both DanielJackson and O'Neill looked at the jaffa in shock, and then DanielJackson asked in amazement, "You dug yourself out from under all that dirt?" 

"It was not necessary," Teal'c replied, and then explained, "A portion of the floor collapsed into a room below it." 

"Oh," both men said in unison. 

"Well, okay," O'Neill began as if coming out of a trance. "Let's go this way anyway." 

"Why?" DanielJackson immediately questioned, causing the jaffa to think they must recently have had another argument. 

As Teal'c expected, the Colonel's face glowered with annoyance, and he snapped, "Because I said so." 

***** 

"Nathan! He must have opened it! The end of all things is at hand!" the woman, Maggie, exclaimed. Now that the earthquake had ended, everyone was gathering around the picnic tables. 

Sam watched silently as her fingers pried at the table leg in hopes of breaking off a sliver of wood that she could use as a lock pick, but so far all her sore fingers were able to disengage were flecks of brown paint. 

"Everyone, be quiet!" Nathan called out to the small group. "It is not the end yet, we still have time." While the man was young, it was obvious he was the head of this odd family, and the rest immediately calmed at his reassurance. "We know he has not left the site, and we know he does not have the device that will call forth the demons, and that it is not here, so we need not fear. We will find him and put an end to this threat." 

After that, the group dispersed, once again resuming their search. Nathan walked slowly back to Sam. "Where is he?" 

"You know, he's a nice guy. I'm sure if you'd told him it would cause the end of the world, he would have given you the Key," Sam told the man. 

"Then tell me where he is and I will explain the situation," Nathan replied lightly. 

Sam snorted. "Ya, right. You opened fire on us without warning!" 

Nathan sighed, his eyes filling with deep regret. "You must understand, most of my family has never even held a gun, let alone fired one. One premature shot and they all panicked." 

"Then why are you even carrying guns?" Sam asked, confused. 

Nathan shrugged. "It was my brother's idea. Before he died he was the head of the family. Now it falls to me, and we cannot afford to fall in our responsibility, or humankind will fail." 

His voice was sincere and Sam found it hard not to believe him. She was tempted to try and make a deal with him, but before she could say anything, one of the 'family' called out in exclamation. The sound of a gunshot echoed through the clearing, causing Sam's blood to run cold with fear. 

Nathan was on his feet and running towards the entrance of the excavation, but he didn't even get halfway before he stopped in his tracks. 

A man stepped out into the open. He wasn't part of Nathan's family, nor was he MacGyver. He also wasn't exactly dressed, and blood was gushing from a hole in his chest, but even from where she was trapped, Sam could still see the flash of yellow in the man's eyes. 

Then the rest of Nathan's family showed up, minus the man who'd called the alarm. Chances were good he was dead now anyway. 

"Nathan!" Sam yelled, "That's one of your demons! Shoot him!" 

The group may not have trusted her, but they were too nervous and scared to care if she was speaking the truth or not. Everyone raised their guns and a wave of bullets flew towards the goa'uld. Only, much to the group's dismay, their shots did nothing. Like bugs stuck to flypaper, the bullets were held suspended in the air by a shield of purple energy. The goa'uld snarled something at them in what Sam assumed was goa'uld. 

Then, with an angry wave of his hand, he sent the bullets back to them, and Sam saw half the people crumple to the ground. The rest, panicking, opened fire until their clips were empty, but it only served to give the goa'uld more ammo which he returned at will. 

"No!" Sam called out, watching in horror as they were all ruthlessly massacred. All but Nathan, whom the goa'uld was now slowly approaching. "Nathan! Run!" 

Yet Nathan was frozen to the ground in shock, and all too soon the goa'uld had reached him, a bloody hand curling about the man's neck. The goa'uld again spoke in that other language, and then pulled Nathan close to him. 

Sam cringed as she watched the goa'uld parasite pass from one body to the next. Both men crumpled limply to the ground, but she knew it was already too late. Ignoring the pains in her arm, Sam frantically tried scraping the chain of the cuffs against the table leg. She had to break off a piece of wood and get the cuffs off before the goa'uld gained dominance. 

For several long minutes the entire field was silent, and then slowly, like a corpse rising from the dead, Nathan stirred. Only it wouldn't be Nathan any more. Sam stopped scraping and pulled at the wood. At last a piece came off, but as she tried to pick the lock she realized her fingers were too numb to work properly. 

Filled with dread, Sam watched as Nathan got to his feet. It was too late now, the goa'uld was sure to come over to her, and as soon as he was close enough he would feel the naquadah Jolinar left behind. 

Nathan leaned over the previous host's body, pulling something from it. Sam didn't know what, but as she'd expected, the goa'uld's attention quickly became focused on her. 

He approached, and Sam saw him fasten a purple pendant around his neck. It must be the goa'uld device that created the energy shield, Sam realized. 

"Where is MacGyver?" The goa'uld demanded as soon as he was close enough, his words coming out thick, as they would for anyone just learning a language. Sam didn't reply, and the goa'uld stepped closer, eyes flashing yellow in anger, as he stated menacingly, "I will not be so kind as this host was, tau'ri!" Then suddenly his expression changed to one of confusion. "You have been a host yourself," he stated, realizing exactly what Sam wished he hadn't. "But this host knows nothing of the goa'uld. Who do you serve? The Shaya?" he snarled out at her. 

"I don't serve any goa'uld," Sam told him in defiance. 

The goa'uld's eyes narrowed. "Where is the Key?" 

"Find it yourself!" He would kill her anyway, and there was no way she was going to let the goa'uld get the upper hand if she could avoid it. 

The goa'uld didn't respond right away, and while his eyes flashed again, he showed considerable restraint for a one of his kind. "Things have changed immensely since I was imprisoned by the traitor Ra. But I shall do my duty to the Hereta. And you shall help me." 

"Bite me." 

The goa'uld chuckled, and looking back towards the excavation's opening, remarked, "I saw this MacGyver inside the temple. If he has the Key, as this tau'ri believes, than he shall gladly trade it for you." 

Sam swallowed hard, partly in worry, and partly in relief. MacGyver wasn't inside the ruins, which meant it had to have been the Colonel, and that meant he was alive, but things wouldn't remain that way for long if this goa'uld had his way. 

----- 

Post Story Author Notes: Okay, because one of my beta's brought it up, I thought I'd better say something. If any of you are wondering just when Mac killed someone…I say this…remember Gravel Voice? Mind you, it was Jack at the time, and he didn't _really_ kill him…but ya…him! 


	14. origins

Author's Note: Warning!!! If you really hate cliffhangers, you might want to just wait till chapter 15 is out because this one I think is one of the better ones I've come up with. :D Consider yourself warned! 

beeeeeeeeep ---This has been a public broadcasting notice--- beeeeeeeeep 

Author's Notes2: A big thank you to all still reading. I know this monster just keeps getting bigger, but you'll be happy to know you get a fair bit of info in this chapter. Pretty soon there'll just be the one question left to answer. :D Also a huge thank you to my beta's Dimac99 and Sealrescuer who've taken the time out of there busy lives to help me edit this creature. And happily, I think my writing's actually improving. :D 

Well, enjoy! 

----- 

MacGyver slowly regained consciousness. His head throbbed with pain, and his ears felt stuffed with Kleenex. The world was dark, except for a fuzzy patch of white light directly above him. Blinking, Mac tried to get his vision to focus. The light was a dim patch of sunlight coming in from the hole in the ceiling above him. That was when he realized he was practically hanging upside down upon a rather sharp pile of rocks. At least this time the cave in wasn't on _top_ of him. 

Convincing his body to move, MacGyver rolled off the rocks with a moan. Groggily, he pushed his bruised body up into a sitting position. For a second he thought his stomach was going to protest violently to the motion, but after a moment it settled again. When he was sure it would stay that way, Mac reached up and felt his head for any wounds. From the way it was hurting, he wouldn't be surprised if he had a concussion. 

The light was too dim to tell if his hand came away covered in blood, and his fingers had long ago lost any sensation to the cold, but he found a spot that seemed softer than it should be. It certainly flared with pain every time his probing fingers touched it. 

Letting his hand fall to his lap, Mac groaned, "Fantastic." 

For a long while, he just sat there and let himself relax. He knew his eyes kept closing, but with it so dark, it was a challenge to keep himself awake. He'd have to start moving again soon if he was going to keep from passing out. 

Then, like an echo, Mac heard voices. They were hard to make out at first, but as they drew closer Mac grinned. 

"O'Neill, do you require assistance?" 

"I'm fine, Teal'c." 

"Indeed, you are not fine." 

"Teal'c! Go help Daniel, he can barely walk!" 

"Teal'c's already carrying me, Jack." 

"Well he can't carry both of us, now can he?" 

"I can." 

"No you can't," Jack's voice insisted. "Besides, here's another tunnel." 

"But Jack, the cave in was that way." 

"How can you possibly know that?" 

"DanielJackson is correct." 

"We're still going this way. And _then_ we can go back." 

"But-" 

"Daniel." 

MacGyver chuckled. He wanted to call out to them, but the thought of yelling anything made his stomach lurch. They'd get here on their own anyway. 

There were several grunting sounds, and a couple of unwilling groans, but eventually Mac heard the stones blocking the end of the tunnel being pushed out of the way. Then suddenly a spot of light appeared. It wasn't much brighter than the light coming down through the broken ceiling, but it was enough to make out the figure of a man carefully extracting himself from the hole in the wall. 

"Hey, Jack," MacGyver quietly greeted the Colonel. 

The man spun around, dropping the flashlight on the floor as he went. "Mac! Damn it! Don't do that, I could have shot you!" Mac could see now that Jack's silhouette was now pointing a gun at him. 

"O'Neill?" The jaffa's voice quickly questioned from inside the tunnel, and then a head appeared, the odd gold tattoo more visible than anything else. 

"It's all right T. Found Mac." Jack replied grimly. 

"Greetings, MacGyver," Teal'c stated, exiting the tunnel. "It is good to see you are alive." And then he was reaching back into the tunnel and pulling Daniel out. 

From what Mac could see, the jaffa was in the best shape out of all of them. Daniel obviously had his leg in a splint, and when Jack bent down to pick up the flashlight he remained hunched over several moments longer than necessary. Mac wasn't feeling that great either. In fact, he wasn't even _planning_ on trying to get up without help. 

Jack's exclamation only reaffirmed this. "Mac, you look like the walking dead!" 

"It's probably not too far from the truth," Mac replied, cringing as Jack's sharp words seemed to drive nails through his ears. Slowly the pain faded and he was able to unclench his jaw. 

"Do you know where Carter is?" Jack asked, softer this time, as if realizing how much loud noises were hurting him. 

"We were both topside," Mac said, pointing to the crumbling ceiling. "_Hopefully_, she's on her way to town by now to get help." 

"Hopefully?" Daniel repeated, worried. 

Mac cringed, telling them with regret, "We ran into trouble. The same guys who killed James were waiting for us once we got out. They're still looking for the disk, key, whatever it is." 

"The inscription calls them the Keys of Time," Daniel told him absently, and then turning to Jack said, "If Akh gets out before we do, we might never be able to find him again." 

Jack groaned. "I know, Daniel, I know." 

MacGyver asked, confused, "Ack?" 

"Akh," Daniel automatically corrected. 

"He's a goa'uld we found buried down here," Jack told him, griping, "Just like I knew there would be." 

Then Teal'c suggested, "Perhaps we can escape using MacGyver's tunnel." 

Mac looked up at the dimming spot of light above him. "It's more like a pit, really, but we might be able to climb back up," he said, a little dubious. _He_ certainly didn't feel like climbing just yet. 

Teal'c was the only one who could actually make the climb, so he went first in the hopes of finding something to help them up. 

"He's taking too long," Jack grumbled several minutes later when Teal'c still hadn't returned. 

"It's dark now," MacGyver offered by way of explanation, but he was worried, too. It'd been far too long. 

At the other end of the room they heard the sounds of something moving around. O'Neill shone the flashlight on the tunnel's entrance and raised his gun in anticipation. 

They all waited with baited breath, but soon enough, the gold emblem of Teal'c's tattoo appeared out of the darkness. 

"Teal'c, what happened?" Jack quickly asked, lowering his gun. 

"The Earthquake has reopened the entrance. I fear Akh has vacated the premises. I found many dead on the surface," Teal'c told them somberly. 

Daniel shifted, using the pile of debris to balance himself. "Did you see Sam?" 

"MajorCarter was not among them. I do not know where she is. However, Akh's previous host was also among the slain." 

"Previous host?" Mac asked with a frown. 

Jack groaned, and then bit out a few choice words, startling them all. "All right, kids," the Colonel sourly growled out, "Let's get out of here. Teal'c, show us the way." 

"As you wish, O'Neill." 

By the time they reached the surface again the sun had fully set. If it wasn't for the fact that the ruins had been so dark inside, Mac might have considered it to be no improvement. Like a bad omen, it was a new moon that night, and a thin layer of cloud hid all but the brightest of stars. 

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to hide the horrible sight that lay before them. Mac counted eleven bodies in total. And looking at them certainly didn't make his stomach feel any better. With a lurch of vertigo, Mac almost tripped again, but one of the jaffa's arms caught him around the middle, practically lifting him off the ground. On Teal'c's other arm was Daniel, who was looking at him in concern. "Are you okay?" 

Mac nodded, not trusting himself to speak. The pain in his head was getting worse, but after a few moments, it settled back to the standard throbbing while his vision once again steadied. Thankfully, the jaffa had led them to a picnic bench, where both Daniel and Mac gratefully sank down to rest. 

Jack came up to join them, his hand holding his side as if it were about to fall off. From the dark patches that coated his clothing, MacGyver wouldn't be surprised if it was. Then Jack grinned, remarking dryly, "I correct my earlier statement. We _all_ look like the walking dead!" 

"We've got to find Sam," Daniel immediately stated. 

"Ya think?" Jack sarcastically bit out, but he sighed a moment later, giving Daniel an apologetic nod. "We'll find her, don't worry." 

"And if the goa'uld has taken MajorCarter as his new host?" Teal'c asked, voicing all of their fears. 

"We'll still find her," Jack stated, determined. 

Mac hated to be the one to bring it up, but. "First we should probably see about getting help for ourselves." 

Jack pulled out his phone, but judging from his expression it wasn't working. Mac told them, "We tried making a call earlier, but apparently no signal can reach here. None of the phones will work." 

Right at that moment, the ringing of a phone filled the air with its obnoxious sounds. Mac cringed, but he saw Daniel turn around to find the perpetrator sitting innocently on the picnic table behind them. 

"This one does," Daniel quietly commented, picking the phone up and handing it to Jack. 

"Hello?" Jack answered. As they watched the Colonel, Jack's expression hardened, a dark anger growing in his eyes. Then, in a deadly quiet voice the Colonel stated, "I want to hear her." 

Suddenly Mac knew what was going on. This goa'uld had not taken Carter as a host, but he _had_ taken her. 

Then the Colonel stated darkly, "That's fine with me." He hung up the phone with an angry snap, but he immediately flipped it open again. Punching in a new number, Jack stared at it hard, and then with a growl of frustration closed it. For a moment Mac thought Jack was going to throw the phone, but visibly working hard to control himself, he just slipped it inside his pocket instead. 

"Not working any more?" Mac quietly guessed. Jack didn't even bother responding. 

Daniel looked up at the Colonel, his eyes brimming with emotion. "Jack?" 

Taking a deep breath, Jack told them, "Akh has Carter. He wants to trade her for the Key." 

At first no one said anything, and then Daniel offered weakly, "As least we know Sam's not a goa'uld." 

"Ya, we got lucky," Jack huffed out, glancing at Mac. 

Both Teal'c and Daniel caught the exchange but as Daniel opened his mouth to question them, Mac interrupted, asking, "When does he want to make the trade?" 

"He said he'd call in the morning," Jack replied absently, as if his thoughts were on something else. Mac had an idea what it was, but he wasn't sure if he should venture a guess or not. Then looking at them, Jack said, "It gives us time to get to the city, call in for backup, and get you three looked after." 

"You're hurt, too," Daniel immediate reminded the Colonel. 

Shaking his head, Jack automatically stated, "I'll manage." 

MacGyver hesitated, but the thought was still troubling him, so he just blurted out, "Jack, you can't trade Sam for the Key. She'll just end up getting killed." 

"I'm not leaving a teammate in the hands of a gould!" Jack angrily retorted, but from the pain in his eyes there was no questioning he'd been thinking the same thing Mac was. 

"I'm not saying you do!" Mac argued. "But if you try to set up a trade, she'll end up dying and you know it!" 

"Jack?" Daniel questioned, confused and concerned. "What's he talking about?" 

The Colonel spun away, walking off a pace from them, but still staying close. 

Daniel turned his question on Mac, asking him directly, "What are you talking about?" 

Again, Mac hesitated. Like Jack, he didn't want to say it, but it wasn't right to pretend their abnormality didn't exist, either. Especially considering Sam's life was now at risk. With a growing regret, Mac realized Jack had been right. _They_ shouldn't be involved in _any_ of this, but it was too late now. 

"Jack," Mac said softly. 

The Colonel turned around, walking back to them. A hard expression creasing his face, he suddenly declared, "We're going to go and get her ourselves." 

"What?" Daniel asked, startled. 

Even the jaffa questioned, "Do you know the location of MajorCarter?" 

Not loosing any bit of his conviction, Jack bluntly told them, "Yes." It wasn't exactly the truth, Mac knew, but at this point, it might as well be. Then Jack added grimly, "If we wait to do the trade we'll loose Carter. Going and getting her ourselves is the only real option we have." 

"Jack-" Daniel began, but stopped short with a look from the Colonel. Mac was somewhat relieved Daniel and Teal'c were able to trust Jack so completely, but he still wished they could just come out and explain everything. The nagging sensation that things were only going to get worse seemed to be growing in the back of his mind, but it could just as easily be the concussion talking. 

***** 

Sam looked around at the blue walls of the office. Everything here was neat and tidy. There was even a rather intricate bouquet of flowers on the side table against the wall. She, herself, stuck out like a sore thumb. Her clothes were a mess, her hair was a dirty brown instead of the usual blond, and her arms and fingers were covered in cuts and bits of dried blood. Her one arm hurt so bad it'd begun to throb in tune with a sharp pain developing behind her left eye. 

Looking across the desk, Sam watched the goa'uld rifle through the drawers as if he were searching for something. This was._had been_, Nathan's office, and Sam remembered just how easily Akh had been able to march her right past Security without so much as a question. Apparently, being head of the family also meant being head of the family business. Sam didn't have a clue just what kind of business it was, but it must be something eccentric for the guards to not even bat an eye at her current appearance. 

In fact, they hadn't batted an eye, blinked, or really did anything past a glance. Her mind seemed to be telling her that was important, but exactly how, she was too tired to figure out just yet. 

Again looking around the office, Sam found herself chuckling. She was used to goa'ulds having something far more lavish. Silk, gold, at the very least a throne. A simple business office was far too mundane to fit the profile. Akh had yet to even flaunt his whole superiority complex routine. Sam chuckled again; now she _knew_ she was tired. 

Akh looked up at her, eyes flashing yellow as he pulled out a set of keys from the desk. "Tell me, tau'ri, how was the traitor, Ra, killed?" 

"We blew him up," Sam replied, seeing no reason to withhold that bit of information. It was obvious that she knew about the Goa'uld. Perhaps letting him know that she knew that goa'ulds weren't indestructible could give her an advantage. With a hint of smugness, Sam told him, "I wasn't there myself, but I heard it was a rather spectacular explosion." 

Akh smiled, a look of satisfaction creasing his face. Sam frowned. That wasn't the reaction she'd been expecting. Goa'ulds believed themselves infallible, gods, unable to be killed, didn't they? 

"Good," Akh stated, again surprising Sam. "I hope he suffered much before he died." Then he stood up, motioning for Sam to get up as well. She did, stiffly. As the goa'uld led her down the hall and into an elevator, she watched him use the keys from the desk to access the top level of the office building. 

The elevator opened up onto the restricted floor to reveal three rooms. One was obviously a council room, the second looked more like the beginning of a penthouse, or someone's very plush office with room to spare, the third room was the one the goa'uld was mostly interested in. It was a full sized vault, looking as secure as the vault of a four star bank. 

Stepping up in front of the keypad, Akh pulled out the keys from the desk again, as well as a set Nathan must have had with him. Akh handed Sam one key and pointed to the lock a couple feet away. "They must turn at the same time. You will turn that key when I say." His tone brooked no argument. 

For a moment Sam contemplated not cooperating, but if security didn't have a problem with him bringing in a captive already, setting off the alarm wasn't going to solve anything, either. 

"Kree!" 

She turned her key as Akh turned his, and as soon as the goa'uld had entered the combination the door to the vault beeped, clicked, and slowly began to swing open. Sam quickly stepped back, wondering just what was so important to the goa'uld for him to want to come here. 

The vault was a mostly empty large metal room, but on a table at its center sat two black boxes. Akh opened them both. Inside one was the standard stack of money, petty cash for the company, no doubt. The other contained a stack of gold metal sheets covered in goa'uld, and next to them sat a device that she was sure was goa'uld in origin, but it wasn't like any they'd come across before. The top of it was round, like a goa'uld communication device, but the base of it was square with buttons around it. Plus, unlike standard goa'uld fashion, the device was silver instead of gold. If Sam had to guess, it was probably made of trinium. 

"Do you know what this is?" Akh asked her as he picked the device up. Sam refrained from answering, but he didn't seem to care if she knew or not. "It will send a message to by brother, Sedet. He will come with the third Key, and once I have regained my Key, together we will find where the traitor Ra hid his and bring the Hereta back, restoring things to the way they should be." 

Sam couldn't help it, she was confused. "Why didn't Ra just take your key when he buried you?" 

"Ra," Akh practically hissed the name with disgust, "did not bury me. The goa'uld who had shared your body must have been rather young, tau'ri." 

Young? Sam wouldn't have called Jolinar _young_, but if Akh knew Ra, who had been one of the oldest goa'ulds not all that long ago, than yes, perhaps the tok'ra Jolinar _was_ young. Sam followed Akh out of the vault, asking with more bravado than she really felt, "Since you're probably going to kill me anyway, what are the Keys, exactly? And what's your connection to Ra?" 

Akh's face scowled and Sam tensed herself, preparing for the reprimand she was sure he was going to give her for daring to ask a question. But he didn't, instead he told her, "The Keys are the secrets of the Hereta. Only they can unlock them. Three Keys were made and given to myself, and my brothers, Sedet, and Ra." 

"But, why?" In spite of herself Sam was intrigued by this new bit of information. Only the Hereta, whoever they were, could unlock them? Was it a genetic lock of some sort? 

"Our planet was dying. We had limited hosts, and a plague was killing them despite all the Hereta's attempts to prevent it. We had long ago lost the location to our first world, but we knew if we could find it again that there were viable hosts there." 

"The Unas," Sam guessed. 

He raised his eyebrows in question, and Sam realized she shouldn't have jumped the gun like that, but then he continued, "The Unas. Yes. Three of the shaya," and he pointed to himself to indicate he and his brothers, "were chosen to search for our first world. To preserves themselves, the Hereta took on animals for hosts and secreted themselves away to await the time when we would call for them. Only the Hereta can unlock the Keys' secrets and keep the goa'uld in power in the Universe. 

"The three of us went in separate directions, searching for many years. It was some time before I discovered this planet, only to find that my brother, Ra, had already found it. Not only had he taken a tau'ri as a host, but he had betrayed us. He had no intention of giving the new hosts to the Hereta, and had convinced most of the shaya to join him." 

Akh's face had darkened as he talked. His voice was practically dripping with fury now. "I would have killed him myself, if I could, but I was marooned on this planet, and before the shol'va could overtake me, my servants secreted me away, to keep me and the Key safe." 

Then, suddenly, the goa'uld chuckled. "This host is the descendent of one of my servants. He no longer knew just what he was protecting, and the translation of my last orders was misinterpreted over time, but it is just as well. This world is very different now than when I first came here. You have advanced much, tau'ri." 

Sam wasn't sure how to respond. Was the goa'uld giving them a compliment? But something kept nagging at the back of her mind, and she slowly asked, "You said the, Hereta, took animals for hosts?" 

"Yes, to preserve themselves. The sarcophagus would no longer sustain us as we were." 

"Well, the Hereta are dead," Sam blurted out, a little too tired to realize she should have used a bit more tact, or simply not said anything about it at all. 

Akh's fist slammed into Sam's jaw with enough force to send her halfway across the room, but honestly, she didn't really remember the impact. It was as if one moment she was standing, and in the next she was on the floor, stunned. 

"You lie!" Akh all but screamed at her. 

Sam flinched, and then gingerly she felt her jaw to see if it was broken. It wasn't, but it hurt enough that it could have been. Akh had begun pacing the room, his face livid with fury. Trying to be as invisible as possible, Sam inched her way along the floor till she could lean against the wall. The last thing she needed was to be the target of a pissed off goa'uld. 

***** 

"Turn left here, Teal'c." 

The jaffa did as O'Neill directed. After they had decided to mount a rescue for MajorCarter, they had collected the Keys from her pack, and using their temporary vehicle had headed to Portland. Since entering the city limits, both O'Neill and MacGyver had begun to give him directions, alternating as navigator after each one. 

Teal'c glanced up as they passed a sign with a large 'H' on it that indicated an infirmary lay in that direction. The jaffa was tempted to make the turn and simply drop his companions off there before going for MajorCarter himself. He felt an obligation to protect them to the best of his abilities. Unfortunately, he already knew this plan would be unacceptable. If there was one thing he learned from working with the Tau'ri, it was that they highly disliked being left behind. 

"Right at this next light," MacGyver stated. Teal'c turned right. 

DanielJackson, who had been becoming increasingly more agitated during their travel, demanded, "So is it like a psychic thing going on? Because I simply don't understand how you can know where Sam is, and not know, at the same time." 

The jaffa had to agree. MacGyver and O'Neill's behavior was truly puzzling. 

"Just, trust us on this. This isn't really.," O'Neill seemed to struggle for the appropriate word. 

Then MacGyver filled in for him, ".Conscious, on our part." 

Teal'c raised an eyebrow, and glancing in the mirror saw that DanielJackson did not understand either. "But then how do you know when you've reached the right spot?" The anthropologist questioned, incredulous. 

With a loud bang the vehicle jerked. Teal'c had to fight with the wheel to maintain control, but he quickly pulled to the side of the road. 

Beside him the Colonel flashed Daniel a wry grin, remarking, "We're there!" 

"O'Neill, we are being fired upon," the jaffa stated, wondering who had managed to damage the vehicle without him seeing it. 

"Na, Teal'c. The tire just blew," O'Neill told him. They all exited the vehicle. Teal'c looked first at the tire, or rather, what was left of it, and then around the dark city streets just to be sure, but he saw no one. 

"It's gotta be that place," MacGyver said coming around the side and looking up at the rather tall building across the street. A banner hung against the building's face, a picture of a man and woman holding a bunch of flowers between them on its surface and the words 'Nothing repairs relationships better than a bouquet of Hert Flowers.' 

"Whoa. Jack!" DanielJackson exclaimed also looking up at the banner. 

O'Neill looked at the anthropologist, annoyed. "Daniel. What?" 

"Well, it's not spelt correctly, but Hereret is pronounced Hert." 

The Colonel just gave him a look. Teal'c raised an eyebrow also not hearing the significance. Hert was hert, would it be anything else? 

Yet somehow MacGyver seemed to know, and with lit eyes and a growing smile, the man continued DanielJackson's train of thought. "And Hereret means flowers. Plus those guys from the planet had a flower like tattoo." 

"Yes, exactly," DanielJackson replied, excited. "And the Hereta.I mean, it could easily have transitioned to Hereret over the years. But how did you know this was here?" 

"That's not important now, Daniel," O'Neill was quick to say. Then the Colonel ordered, "All right, you three stay here. I'm going to go in for Carter." 

Teal'c stepped up to O'Neill. "I shall accompany you." 

"Not this time Teal'c, you help Mac get us a new car. Or change the tire, or something, because I don't think half of us are going to be able to get away by running." He gave Daniel's leg a significant look, but the jaffa would include all three of the tau'ri in that assessment. 

"Jack," DanielJackson said, holding him back. "Shouldn't we call for back up?" 

Putting hand on the anthropologist's shoulder, MacGvyer said solemnly, "We can't risk involving more people in this." 

DanielJackson frowned. He opened his mouth to argue the point, but O'Neill was already heading across the street. Teal'c took a half step to go as well, but restrained himself. He would do as O'Neill asked, but like the tau'ri, jaffa _also_ disliked being left behind. 

***** 

Jack slipped around the corner of the office building, checking for cameras and people alike. The back of the building was vacant, but a camera sat just above the back door's entrance. Scoping out the power lines, Jack looked for the best way to cut the power, then thought better of it. That would get the cops called in, and he knew for sure he didn't want anyone else there. He really just needed a way to move the camera off the door. 

Finding a sizable rock, Jack hefted it in his hand, then, taking aim, he hit the camera hard on its side. Thankfully it didn't completely brake off, and he'd be lucky if no one noticed it was now looking up at the sky, but that kind of luck was something he could count on. 

Jogging up to the door, Jack examined the lock. It was your simple keypad security. Punching in ten different numbers at random the Colonel heard the audible click of the door opening. Grinning, he stepped into a hallway devoid of people. "Sweet." 

Deciding to just walk normally past all the cameras rather than try and dodge them, Jack quickly entered the closest elevator. This was going to be easier than he thought! But as his fingers hovered over the button for the top level, he realized he wouldn't be able to get there. The level had a key lock next to it, preventing just anyone from traveling there, and he didn't think picking this lock was going to work this time round. 

Jack groaned, muttering, "Sweet." He was going to have to go up from the outside. Resolutely, Jack pressed the button for the next floor down. The hall was as empty as he expected it to be. It _was_ the middle of the night, after all. Now all he needed was a way out. Buildings like these didn't have windows that opened, or fire escapes on the outside anymore. 

Trusting his instinct, Jack opened the first door that felt 'right' to him, and grimly smiled when he discovered the room beyond was under renovation. There was even a window missing, the plastic covering being all that was standing in his way. That, and the fact that he was currently thirty some floors up. 

Looking around at the equipment Jack had an idea. Two confiscated hammers and one extension cord later, Jack had himself a somewhat workable grappling hook. He just hoped his knots would hold. He'd even found a roll of duct tape, and practically mummified the cord to the hammers just in case. Mac swore by the stuff, and if it held, Jack promised never to joke about it again. 

Pulling the plastic off, Jack sat down half out of the window. It took a couple throws, but the hammers caught on the inside lip of the roof, snagging tightly in place. Jack held the cord experimentally in his hands, looking from the roof down to the ground. 

"You won't die," Jack reminded himself, but logic quickly pointed out that being dead and incapacitated weren't technically the same thing. "Damn it, Jack. Don't think about that!" 

Determined, the Colonel experimentally pulled on the cord. It seemed to be holding okay. And so, taking the real test, Jack lifted himself up. His side came to life with pain, reminding him he'd only recently been shot.again. But the cord held, and that was good enough for him. 

***** 

Akh was still fuming, but much quieter now. It seriously scared Sam to see the goa'uld like this, she rather preferred the yelling and throwing things phase much better, at least then she could predict his actions. Then Akh looked directly at her. Sam quickly averted her gaze, but it was too late, she could feel him approaching. He reached down and ruffly pulled her to her feet. 

"How do you know the Hereta are gone?" Akh demanded coldly. 

He'd already asked her that several times now, and each time her response was the same. "We found them. I'm sorry, but it's the truth. They're dead." She refused to say anything more, especially since saying that _they_ killed them would be like committing suicide. 

Sam expected the goa'uld to drop her and continue to rage in disbelief, as he had previous times, but it was as if his anger was focused now. "Tau'ri," Akh growled out, grabbing Sam by the chin and forcing her to look at him. "I will release you if you tell me who killed the Hereta." 

"I don't know, we just found them that way," Sam lied. He continued to stare directly at her, and with a sinking feeling of dread, Sam realized he could tell it wasn't the truth. 

Viciously, he pulled her away from the wall, and grabbing her by the neck, propelled her across the room. "The Keys are unimportant now. For your treachery, you will see the end of your world, tau'ri." Akh grabbed the communication device, and then pushed her towards a door at the back of the room. It led to a small stairwell, leading both down and up. 

Pushing her ahead up the stairs, they moved up to the door that opened out onto the roof. It was freezing outside, but Sam could barely feel the cold through the fear that was rising inside her. 

"What do you plan to do?" She asked the goa'uld, watching as he set the device down on the roof and pressed a few buttons. The round top began to glow a soft blue. 

"I am contacting my brother, Sedet, so that he may come here, and together we may destroy this planet," Akh declared. 

The fear blossomed inside her. Sam no longer cared what happened to her, she couldn't let the message be sent or Earth would be invaded, and no peace treaty would stop them. Not really thinking, just reacting, Sam snatched the device from the goa'uld and ran for the edge of building with the intention of throwing it over to its destruction. 

An inhuman cry followed at her heals, and right at she reached the edge, she felt Akh's hands grabbing at her. Twisting out of his grasp, Sam fell, and kept on falling. 

***** 

Jack had heard them walk onto the roof, and with a sense of urgency had hulled himself up until his hands could feel the roof's top. Ignoring the pain in his side, Jack pulled himself up to safety. No sooner had he gained his feet than he heard the goa'uld's cry, and looking up he saw the man chasing after Carter. 

In the next heartbeat, Jack was running after them, but it wasn't fast enough to prevent the horror that played out before him as Carter went over the edge. Jack didn't think, he just reacted, and not a second later, the Colonel dove off the roof after her. 


	15. PPD

Author's Note: Happy belated slew of holidays! :D I can think of four that happened over this weekend alone. :P My family came to visit, so we partied by watching much SG1 and much anime. Whoohoo! :D Hope everyone's had as good a week as I have. 

Author's Note2: Thanks be to the readers and reviewers and betas. You peeps are the best. It's amazing how encouraging a little 'like it, keep going' is. Much to my amazement, this story has reached over 150 reviews. O.O Wow. *prostrates herself on the ground in awe* 

Author's Note3: And a word to Miscbills, (and others) I _will_revisit the whole house burning incident. But don't expect it too soon; I've got some serious plot to muddle through. :P In fact, I'm not going to leave any loose ends if I can help it, there's just a lot of them at the moment so it'll take time to get them all tied off. If I hit 'the end' and I have left something unanswered, just whack me on the head and I'll go back and edit it in. *crosses fingers* 

Author's Note4: We get another visitor from the MacGyver universe in this chapter. :D Kate Murphy. Who, you say? Well, never fear, you don't need to know the character to understand her purpose in this story. I've always thought she was a bit of a stereotype anyway. *grins, and then runs from the MacGyver fanatics* 

Enjoy, eh! 

* * *

  


Teal'c and MacGyver had already gone to find a new car, leaving Daniel sitting in the front seat of their broken down rental. He had the door open and his legs stretched out in front of him, so he was directly facing the building when he saw first Sam, then Jack, go over the edge. 

Daniel's body chilled with shock, but everything happened so fast, his emotions had no time to really formulate. If he hadn't witnessed it himself, he'd never have believed it. 

At the exact same time as their fall, a soft-top convertible parked not too far up the street, began to roll back, while the Hert banner came loose from the building. The strings that tied the bottom of the banner in place had come undone, and with a gust of wind, the gigantic advertisement almost seemed to leap out, till the loose corner strings snagged on the lampposts at the edge of the sidewalk. 

All of it seemed uncannily synchronized, as Sam and Jack fell into the sturdy cloth. It wasn't enough to catch them completely, but it slowed and guided their descent like a ramp, till they flew off the edges and landed on the passing soft-topped vehicle. The convertible kept rolling, but stopped as it hit another car parked on the same street. 

Daniel was out of his seat and hopping towards them as fast as he could. In spite of witnessing the truly miraculous rescue, Daniel was afraid of what he'd find. But when he got there, both Sam and Jack were extracting themselves from the now somewhat damaged car. 

"Guys, are you okay?" 

"Peachy, Daniel," Jack sarcastically replied. 

The anthropologist grinned. Although the Colonel was heavily grimacing, if he felt good enough to be his usual 'charming self,' then Daniel knew Jack was going to be all right. Sam on the other hand was uncontrollably shaking. Her eyes were as wide as saucers, and her face was completely drained of color. 

"Sam?" Daniel worriedly asked, hopping a step closer. 

She automatically replied, "I'm fine." But then she looked from car, to the banner, to the top of the roof. Daniel looked up as well; truly able to appreciate the sheer audacity of it all. Then a shadow moved at the top of the building. Someone was looking down at them. 

"Sir?" Sam began, her voice colored with confusion. "What just happened?" 

"You fell, I jumped, we lived," Jack replied in an offhand manner, and then said, "I suggest we all get out of here before Sneezeball up there comes looking for us. Where's Mac and Teal'c?" 

Then Jack was reaching back over the car for something, and before the anthropologist could answer the Colonel's question, a burst of light emanated from the damaged top, shooting up into the sky like a beacon, till it finally went so far it just disappeared. This wasn't the first time Daniel had seen that kind of light. It was the same thing that happened when the Tollan had sent a signal to the Nox. 

Jack audibly groaned. As he straitened, Daniel expected to see one of the Tollan communication devices in his hands, but it wasn't. It was somewhat similar, however. "Please tell me I didn't just doom us all?" Jack asked, dismayed. 

Sam didn't answer, but from the pained look on her face, it was likely whatever had just occurred was not good. 

"All right," Jack said, looking somewhat resigned to the inevitable. "We need to get a hold of the SGC and let them know what's coming." Then he looked around, asking again, "Where's Mac and Teal'c?" 

"They haven't come back yet," Daniel finally told him. 

* * *

  


"This vehicle looks suitable." 

MacGyver looked at the one Teal'c was pointing to and shook his head. "No, not this one." 

"As you wish," the jaffa replied, but there was the barest hint of disdain in the tone of his voice. MacGyver looked at Teal'c, lifting an eyebrow in surprise, but the jaffa's expression remained unchanged. 

Then Mac caught sight of a green Buick. "That one." It was an old enough model that he wouldn't have a problem breaking into it. Yet, when they reached it, they found the doors already unlocked. Mac quickly slid into the front seat, surprised, yet not surprised, to find the keys still in the ignition. 

"I believe this car may still be in use," Teal'c stated. 

Mac looked up at the jaffa. "Why do you say that?" 

"The vehicle is warm to the touch." 

Teal'c was probably right, who ever owned this car would have only _just_left it. Yet Mac doubted it would be good for them to wait till the owner returned, especially since they planned on _borrowing_the vehicle. "Get in. Let's go before they come back," Mac quickly stated. 

Yet no sooner had he said it, than two shadowy figures appeared from around the building. "Freeze!" One of them shouted. 

Teal'c instantly tensed for action, but Mac put a restraining hand on the jaffa's arm. "Don't do anything," he whispered, looking over his shoulder as the two men cautiously approached, each with a gun in hand. From the way they were dressed, Mac expected that they would find the word SWAT written on the back of their vests. 

"Out of the car!" one of them ordered. 

Raising his hands into the air, Mac called out, "Hey! Don't shoot!" He slowly got to his feet, explaining, "We were just looking for some help. We need to get to a hospital." 

"Sure you were," the man sarcastically replied, but as his eyes scanned them his expression became uncertain. A static of soft chatter came through their radios as several people started reporting their situations. From what he could make out, MacGyver had an impression they had just unwittingly stumbled across a drug bust of some magnitude. 

The man in front reported in as well, but thankfully added at the end, "We found the perpetrators _possibly_stealing a car. They claim they were just trying to get to a hospital." 

There was silence over the radio for a moment, then, a feminine voice asked, "Do they _look_like they need medical attention?" 

MacGyver blinked in surprise, he knew that voice. "Murphy?" 

The officers exchanged looks, and then the one in front said into the radio, "Captain, I think you better get over here." 

"All right. I'll be right there." 

While they waited, no one moved or said anything. These cops were obviously unsure if they should arrest them or not, and as long as Mac and Teal'c didn't do anything to imply they might be dangerous, they probably wouldn't be restrained, either. 

Soon enough, three people showed up. One was dressed the same as the other SWAT officers, but the other two, although they were wearing Kevlar vests, beneath that they were dressed in the more standard office attire. 

"MacGyver?" 

Mac grinned. "Hey Kate. Heard you made Captain. Congratulations!" The last time he'd seen her, she was still a Lieutenant, in charge of the narcotics division for the LAPD. 

Murphy gave both Mac and Teal'c a hard look, one that was practically dripping with suspicion. "Mac, what are you doing here?" She asked out right. 

Shrugging, Mac sheepishly replied, "Stealing a car?" 

One of the men who'd come with Murphy dryly asked, "Think we could use that as a confession?" 

Murphy shot him a look of annoyance, and then demanded insistently. "Mac, what are you _really_doing here? Do you know about Stillson?" 

"Nothing," MacGyver quickly reassured her. "I promise! Look, my friends need help. We were trying to get to a hospital when our car broke down, so we came looking for a new one." 

"And where are your friends?" Murphy asked, again looking at Teal'c with no small amount of suspicion on her face. 

"Down the street." Mac was starting to get impatient, and his head was throbbing quite painfully again; if he didn't sit down soon, he was going to pass out. "Kate, arrest me if you want, but they need help." 

Then Teal'c suddenly added to the conversation, "MacGyver also needs medical assistance." The jaffa must have noticed Mac's strength faltering. 

Once more Murphy turned her piercing gaze on Teal'c. "And just who are you?" 

"Murray," Teal'c replied, and then, without losing a beat, added, "It is imperative that medical assistance come immediately." 

"Hey!" the man who'd commented about Mac's confession began, clearly angry at being told their job, but Murphy cut him off with a raised hand. 

She must have believed them, because she turned to the second man who'd come with her, saying simply, "Lieutenant Kamino." 

The Lieutenant nodded, and then ordered the other SWAT officers to lower their guns. 

With relief Mac lowered his hands, but feeling another wave of vertigo coming leaned against the car to steady himself. "Thanks, Kate." 

She nodded, and the man beside her called over the radio for two ambulances to be dispatched immediately. "How many people are hurt?" He asked. 

Teal'c replied, "There will be three more." 

"Will be?" the man repeated, giving the jaffa a strange look, but Teal'c clasped his hands behind his back, saying nothing. 

Then Murphy introduced, "This is Detective Riley." She motioned to the man beside her, and then to the Lieutenant, "And Lieutenant Kamino, head of our SWAT department. We'll get some people down to help your friends, Mac." 

"We should go with you," MacGyver immediately stated. 

Firmly shaking her head, Murphy told him, "You both will stay right here till the ambulance comes so you can explain to me _exactly_what happened. Don't worry, we'll find your friends." 

They did, and by the time Jack and the others arrived, thankfully _with_Sam, Jack wasn't looking altogether too pleased about being picked up by the police. Mac cringed from the accusatory glare Jack shot him, but he was too tired to do anything about it. He was sitting on the edge of one of the ambulances while one of the EMT's examined his head. 

"You're lucky it didn't fracture," the EMT commented with a smile. 

"Indeed," Teal'c stated, echoing the technician's opinion. He'd refused medical treatment, insisting repeatedly that he was fine. As yet, they weren't pushing the issue. 

Then the others approached, with two officers helping Daniel onto a stretcher from the second ambulance. "Mac," Jack scathingly greeted. 

MacGyver opened his mouth to return the greeting, but just then Murphy walked up to them, so he waved his hand and said with a grin, "Jack, meet Captain Kate Murphy. 

As soon as she got her first good look at the Colonel, Kate softly exclaimed, "Mac, I didn't know you had a brother." 

Jack's eyes narrowed for a second, but in the next moment he gave her a winning smile, saying, "Colonel Jack O'Neill." 

"Colonel…O'Neill?" Murphy warily questioned. 

"Mother's maiden name," Jack replied, answering the unspoken question first. "I'm afraid we're here on official Air Force business." 

Murphy's eyes narrowed, the woman looking as dangerous as Jack had only moments before. "And you expect me to believe your business just happened to occur next to my own operation?" 

"Yes, Ma'am, I do." Jack responded. 

Despite himself, Mac was intrigued. He'd known Kate for a long time, she was one tough cookie. Since becoming Captain it seemed she'd tempered her anger somewhat, but one look at her eyes said she hadn't lost her edge. A glance around showed the rest of SG1 also intently watching the two face off. 

"Well then," Murphy stated smiling sweetly, "I'm sure we'll get it all sorted out, eventually." 

"We require-" Jack began, but Murphy cut him off. 

"You require a doctor," Murphy stated, sounding more annoyed than upset. "Anyone with eyes can see that! As for whatever it is that got you and your people in your current state, I'm sure you're going to give me some bureaucratic bull, so I'm not even going to bother asking. But my people _did_find MacGyver and, _Murray_, trying to steal a car involved in my operation, so that makes you all my responsibility. At the very least until we reach the hospital." Murphy once again locked gazes with Jack. "Will this be a problem for you?" 

Much to Mac's surprise, Jack backed down. "No. Not a bit." Again he smiled that somewhat sickeningly sweet smile. 

Murphy slightly smirked before she motioned Jack to take a seat next to Mac on the back of the ambulance. Then the Captain gave a very pointed glare to everyone around her, and the officers who'd witnessed the scene suddenly found something else to do. Only Detective Riley stayed close by. 

Crossing her arms, Murphy asked Jack, "So what can you tell me?" But her tone said she wasn't prying for information, she just needed to know the details that enabled her to do her job. 

Jack huffed, and then grimaced openly as the EMT began to cut his shirt off. The amount of dried blood and dirt coating it had plastered the shirt to Jack's skin, to the extent that as soon as it came off, the wound would be completely open again. "Well, you know Mac, met Murray I assume, and over there is Major Samantha Carter, and Doctor Daniel Jackson." Jack said motioning to the others in turn. 

They were all being looked after now, all but Teal'c of course, who continued to stand by them, but at an angle where we could easily see the other ambulance. Mac risked a glance at the rest. Daniel looked more than relieved to have his splint removed and the leg professionally looked at. An EMT was examining Sam's arm, as well. Thankfully, she didn't look much worse than the last time Mac saw her. He was dying to ask Jack what happened, but that clearly wasn't going to be any time soon. 

That's when he noticed Jack was holding a small odd-looking device. Detective Riley noticed as well. "What's that?" 

"What we came here for," Jack stated, and then handed the item to Teal'c. The jaffa took it, immediately putting it away so that it was miraculously hidden from sight. You couldn't even see a bulge from where the device was inside the jaffa's clothing. Mac briefly wondered how Teal'c did it, but he'd been asked much the same thing about his duct tape, and Mac honestly didn't know what they were talking about. Teal'c had the disks, too, and since he was the only one of them uninjured, it was probably best to leave it that way. 

"So what's with the tattoo?" Riley asked, looking at Teal'c. "You from Seattle, or something?" 

"I am not," the jaffa told him, but didn't expound. 

Twenty minutes went by while the EMTs patched them up and the cops went about their business, finishing up the arrests of no less than fifteen people. Whatever had happened had been pretty big, but only MacGyver and SG1 had required any medical attention, a testament to how well the Portland Police Department operated. 

It was still another ten minutes before Jack could convince Murphy into letting him make a phone call. There was really nowhere the Colonel could go to make the call private, but he stood up and walked a step away from the ambulance anyway. The EMT's had pronounced them all 'stable.' They'd wrapped Jack's midriff tightly with white gauze, had Daniel's leg properly splinted, and even had a splint on Sam's arm. Mac's head was left free of bandages, and he'd staunchly refused a collar, so there wasn't much left to be done until they reached the hospital. 

Somehow, along the way, Teal'c had procured one of the SWAT hats, and Jack had convinced them to bring him an extra t-shirt. They were ready to go. 

At last, Jack finally seemed to get through on the phone. "Where's General Hammond?" Mac heard the Colonel ask, and then exclaim in surprised shock, "He went home for the night?" 

Mac silently chuckled. This day had certainly been a long one. He caught Jack's eyes, and then listened as Jack spoke into the phone. "Wake General Hammond. Tell him we have a snake loose. I'll call back in 30 minutes." He hung up the phone and walked back to the ambulance. Looking pointedly at Murphy, knowing full well she'd been listening, Jack dryly asked, "We should be at the hospital by then, right?" 

Mac saw the corner of her lips twitch into a smile, but the Captain replied gruffly, "Yes, I think so." 

"Good. Murray, ride with Mac, I'm going to-" 

"Oh no," Murphy cut him off. "I want the both of you in the same ambulance so I can keep track of who's who." 

Internally Mac groaned. That was the worst decision she could make. "Kate, I really think-" But she cut him off as well. 

"No ifs, ands, or buts, MacGyver. I'll be in a car right behind you." 

Making a motion to Teal'c, Jack said, "Murray, go with Carter and Daniel. Look after them." But there was a look in his eyes conveying more than his words implied. Teal'c seemed to understand the unspoken order, and inclining his head briefly, disappeared into a now very crowded ambulance. 

They watched until the emergency vehicle was safely on its way, before Mac and Jack allowed the EMTs to usher them inside. As they took their seats, Jack commented under his breath, "Great _friend_you've got there, Mac." 

"No better than some of yours," Mac shot back. 

Jack just gave him a crooked grin. "What friends?" 

This wouldn't turn out well. They both knew it, and they were both trying to joke their way into not believing it. 

As the ambulance pulled out onto the road, Mac forced himself to remain calm. Tensing up would just make the inevitable that much worse. Who knows, maybe they'd get lucky and _nothing_would happen, but he knew the odds were currently against them. 

Six blocks later, their luck ran out. From inside the back, it was hard to see just what happened, but MacGyver guessed it was probably as simple as someone running a red light. Someone who likely had their music up and didn't expect to see anyone on the road this late at night, especially not an ambulance. 

With a squeal of tires, the ambulance swerved. Then it hit something, throwing them all to the floor as metal on metal audibly crunched together, and in the next second the vehicle flipped over on its side. Near everything in the ambulance was already tied down, but what wasn't, including the occupants, went tumbling until at last the ambulance skidded to a halt. 

Mac distinctly remembered falling onto something cushy. It was Jack, whose glare was boring holes into his already sore head. "Will you get off me?!" Jack snapped. Mac did, or tried to, but the vertigo was back full swing so he more or less rolled off instead. "Mac, you okay?" Jack's voice immediately questioned from the swirl of motion surrounding him. 

Unable to really focus just yet, Mac nodded, and then he felt Jack's hands pulling him up. He heard Jack ask, "Everyone else okay?" But Mac didn't hear the response as he automatically tried to sit down again. 

Jack caught him, and then someone was opening the back door and ushering them outside. As they stepped out onto steadier ground, two cars pulled up behind them, one of them turning their police lights on as it came to a squealing stop. 

"Oww," Mac groaned, trying to move away from the flashing red and blue lights, but something was preventing him from going too far. 

"Mac, hold still! Mac!" 

The headache blossomed anew and his mangled senses refused to cooperate. At last Mac found the ground, dragging someone down with him. He just needed to rest a moment and let things settle on their own. 

Someone approached, leaning over them. "Are you both okay?" 

"Ya, go check on the rest." 

Mac looked up, furiously blinking to try and see straight, but the world persisted in spinning. He thought he saw Murphy amid the mess, but then she was gone. 

"Hey, you still with us?" Jack's voice asked, softer than Mac had ever heard the man speak. 

"Ya. I'm still here," Mac replied. He rubbed at his eyes, seeing if that would help. At last the world seemed to grow still, and Jack's face finally came into focus. It wasn't a rather pretty sight, but neither was he, Mac guessed. 

"Jack. I'm sorry." 

"What?" Jack asked, confused. 

Mac wanted to shake his head, but considering how he felt right then, settled for grimly smiling, instead. "I should never have come to you for help. I should have known better." 

"Ah, come on Mac. We've made worse mistakes than this. Besides, my team was scheduled to go to P5X-239 _long_before you showed up on my doorstep." 

"Think it's some sort of cosmic joke?" Mac questioned, only half-kidding. 

"What else?" Jack replied, grinning, but from the unhappy expression on his face, he too wasn't altogether jesting. 

Mac sighed. This day wasn't over by a long shot. It wouldn't end until they found a way to put enough time and space between them to stop the play of events from cascading. But would they be allowed? Mac thought of the rope that had broken, almost preventing his escape from the SGC. If he didn't know better, he'd say some higher power was pulling them together, like the force of magnets with opposite polarities, and just as unwilling to let go. 

Just then the sound of gunfire rained down on them, forcing everyone to dive for cover. Jack pushed Mac over beside the ambulance before taking a look around. 

The police were returning fire now, but the whole place was a mass of confusion. "It's Akh and those loony florists!" Jack exclaimed, and then cursed. 

"Florists?" Mac questioned, his brain not fully working just yet. 

"Don't they know he's the bad guy?" Jack continued as if Mac hadn't said anything. 

Almost everyone was by the smashed up car that had hit the ambulance. Only a single cop was anywhere close to them, and Mac saw him suddenly go down, taking a shot in the chest. He heard Murphy call out, but the onslaught of bullets forced her back with the rest. 

"This isn't good," Jack grumbled, and Mac suddenly realized the Colonel no longer had his gun. The SWAT officers would have confiscated it when they picked up the missing members of SG1. "Mac, do you think you can move?" 

Mac was going to try, whether he could or not, but with the cop out of commission, their attackers advanced, reaching the edge of the ambulance faster than he could back up. 

"Don't move," one of them said, training his gun on them. There were a few shots, probably from Murphy, but they went high. She wouldn't risk hitting them, and their attackers knew it. "Get up." 

"Oh for crying out loud, make up your mind!" Jack snapped. He slipped his arm around Mac's waist and they slowly stood up. For a moment, Mac's head swam again and his stomach clenched, ready to heave anything it could. Then Jack was pulling him into motion. The gunmen forced them back, away from the main street and to a delivery van with the Hert Flowers logo on the side. 

It was there, at last, that MacGyver could no longer keep it down, but they didn't give him much time to recover before pushing them both into the van. 

Murphy would call it in, but they wouldn't know to suspect Hert Flowers unless one of the SG1 said something, and Mac knew they wouldn't just yet. There'd be patrol cars, maybe even a chopper called, to look for any abnormal traffic in the immediate vicinity. Portland's finest would respond quickly, but not quick enough. 

Somehow, someway, they'd slip through, and knowing that made MacGyver feel all that much worse. 

* * *

  


Post Story Author's Note: o.O That's weird, they changed all my scene breaks to acutal lines, when did that happen? o.O


	16. hospital run

Author's notes: Ya ya, long time in coming. *grumbles something incoherently about the Evil RL Curse* Thanks for being patient, and thanks as always to my readers, reviewers, and betas, Dimac99 and Sealrescuer. :D 

Author's notes2: We're at the point in the story where we've gone through the loops, are at the top of the hill and staring down to what'll lead to another loop and one doozy of a cork screw…kinda like the Top Gun at Canada's Wonderland. :D What does this mean? I figure I'm about two thirds of the way through the story, with some of the most exciting parts yet to come. Whee! 

Enjoy. :D 

----- 

Sam sat just outside of x-ray awaiting her turn. Teal'c kept her company while Daniel was having his leg examined. They'd already been there forty minutes before he went in, with two people ahead of them in line. One had a possible kidney stone, and therefore needed a set of timed x-rays. Sighing, Sam closed her eyes, trying to keep her frustration at bay. She had to constantly remind herself this wasn't the SGC, and it was normal to wait for medical treatment. 

She could feel someone walking up to her. Then with a nudge from Teal'c, Sam reluctantly opened her eyes. She had expected to see the Colonel standing there looking down at her, but it was just Detective Riley. The concerned expression on his face caught her attention, and sitting up straight, Sam immediately asked him, "What happened?" 

"There was an incident with the other ambulance while it was in transit," the Detective told her. "I don't know the details, but two people were reported seriously injured. One of ours, and someone else. But," and here he hesitated, "The Captain put out an APB on both O'Neill and MacGyver." 

"What?!" Sam exploded. An All Points Bulletin could mean they took off on their own, or were kidnapped. All that was certain was that they were gone. 

Riley raised his hands, defensively exclaiming, "Hey! I told you all I know. The Captain will be here in ten minutes, you can ask her yourself." 

Sam immediately stood up. If two people were in critical condition, they'd all be coming in through the ER. Teal'c stood up beside her, but turning to him, Sam ordered, "T…Murray, stay here with Daniel." 

"You still require medical assistance," Teal'c calmly reminded her. 

Glancing down at her arm, Sam just shrugged. "It can wait. I'll be back as soon as I find out what happened, and have a chance to talk to the General." The jaffa inclined his head, but he remained standing till she actually left. 

Following Riley down the hall, Sam tried to relax. Anything could have happened, they could simply have taken the opportunity to leave to try and avoid having their secret come out. If that was the case, then they would surely check in later, but the idea that they would just leave didn't hold strongly in Sam's mind. Neither of them would abandon anyone. Even given how paranoid they were about their past, Sam couldn't see them just leaving like that. And hurting people in the process? That left Akh as the most likely culprit. 

Thoughts of the goa'uld ran shivers up her spine. Her mind still couldn't seem to wrap itself around the fact that she'd survived a thirty-eight story drop. Her free hand rubbed at her forehead, trying, if possible, to relieve some of the building pressure. 

"So…" 

Wearily, Sam looked over at the Detective. 

"This whole military business…" He began, his face flickering between simple curiosity and open suspicion. 

Letting her hand drop, Sam bluntly told him, "I can't say anything, so don't ask." 

"Right." But he kept looking at her as they walked. 

The ER was moderately busy. One nurse tried to get them into the waiting room, 'where they should be,' but Riley pulled out his badge and convinced the nurse otherwise. They finally managed to come to an agreement. Sam and Riley would wait _near_ the waiting room, but still at a location where they could see the doors Captain Murphy was most likely to come through. 

Standing out of the way as much as possible, they stood silently watching, till at last, the back door opened and a gurney was rolled in with several EMT's surrounding it. "Johnson," Riley grimly remarked, nodding at the man on the gurney as the EMTs met up with two doctors and the whole group rushed towards an operating room out of sight. From what little Sam overheard, the man's condition was precarious, at best. 

Then the doors opened again, and another man, looking far worse than the first, was admitted into the ER. Captain Murphy followed right behind this group, and spotting them by the wall, angrily snapped, "Major Carter! You and I need to have a talk!" 

"Yes, we do," Sam replied, hearing her voice grow hard in spite of herself. 

The three of them quickly left the ER, finding a somewhat emptier hall where they could converse in private. "Major, I have one officer in critical and the doctors telling me he's lucky to even be alive. I need to know what's going on." 

"I can't tell you, it's classified." 

Murphy fumed, "I don't want to hear that!" 

Sam had been in too many life and death situations since joining the SGC to be easily intimidated. They didn't have time for this. "What happened?" 

"I'll tell you what happened. That kid in the ER _bowled_ his car into the ambulance, and while we were picking up the mess some _jerks_ shot my officer, and kidnapped MacGyver and O'Neill. So I repeat, what is going on, Major?" Murphy demanded. 

A group of people had taken them? Surprised, Sam asked, "What were they dressed in?" 

"What?" 

"The shooters. Did you see any of them? What were they dressed in?" 

Murphy looked at her, incredulous. "Well they certainly weren't MIB, if that's what you're asking." 

While Men in Black weren't _exactly_ what she was thinking about, it suggested no rogue militia had gotten involved. No NID, which was a relief. Once again, that brought things back to Akh. How had he managed to convince Nathan's family to open fire on the police? "I need to find a phone." 

Sam turned to look for one, but Murphy put a restraining hand on her arm. "Not until you tell me what this is all about." 

"I'm not authorized to say anything, so until I can make a call and get that authorization, I'm not telling you anything!" Sam angrily retorted. 

It was a minute before Murphy finally let go, but both she and Riley dogged Sam's steps all the way to the phone, and no amount of glaring on Sam's part was going to get them to back off. 

She called the SGC anyway. 

"Hammond." 

"Sir, this is Carter." 

"Major, where's Colonel O'Neill?" 

"Ah," Sam glanced at the cops, and then stated firmly into the receiver, "First, sir, I should tell you that this isn't a secure line, and I'm not alone here." 

"Where are you?" The General immediately asked. 

"County Hospital in Portland. Sir, the Colonel's disappeared. Taken, I believe, by the same person he might have mentioned before?" Sam closed her eyes fervently hoping he _had_ told the General about the goa'uld. She's seen the Colonel holding a cell phone before they'd left, but she wasn't sure if he'd actually gotten through to the SGC. 

"I was out of the office at the time, but he left a message about a snake being loose?" 

"Yes, sir." With relief, Sam sank into the chair beside the phone, grateful the cord actually reached that far. 

"What's the situation there, Major?" 

"It's a mess, sir," Sam stated with candidly, too sore and too tired to do anything else. 

There was a pause before the General somberly asked, "How bad is it, Sam?" 

"He's killed ten people so far, and there's more here in the hospital." She closed her eyes against Murphy and Riley's expressions of shock and anger. She had to push from her mind the horrible memory of the massacre just to stay focused. "Daniel's got a broken leg, but Murray and I are okay." Someone snorted, but Sam refused to look up to see who, and simply continued, "The…_Nathan_, already has the support of several people, number unknown." 

"All right, Major. I'll be sending two teams to meet up with you-" 

"With all due respect, sir," Carter interrupted him. "That won't be soon enough. This isn't like Seth, sir. Nathan is mobile, if we don't act now we might lose him." 

"What do you suggest, Major?" 

Opening her eyes, Sam looked directly at Murphy and stated, "The Portland police are already involved, sir. There's a Captain Kate Murphy here now. I could sure use her help." 

Again there was a pause, and then Hammond decisively stated, "I'll make sure you get everything you need. Your first priority is to find and kill, _Nathan_. Understand?" 

"Yes, sir." 

Then Hammond murmured, "Hopefully you'll find the Colonel at the same time." 

"Yes, sir. And sir? There's one last thing. Nathan got a message out." She paused, hoping the General would understand the implications. Then, because it was better to be safe than sorry, she told him, "I think we should prepare for the worst." 

"Understood. I'll send those teams up to join you asap, Major. Till then, good luck." 

"Thank you, sir." Sam barely had the energy to hang the phone back up. And she planned to lead an attack against Akh? What was she thinking?! 

Murphy stepped in front of her. The woman was only just slightly taller than Janet, Sam realized, and just as full of authority and fire when needed. "Well?" Murphy demanded impatiently. 

Sam didn't bother to answer the Captain. There was nothing she could say…yet. It took a few minutes, but soon enough Murphy's phone chimed from inside her pocket. The Captain scowled, moving off a pace before answering. 

They could still hear Murphy's side of the conversation, and it went exactly as Sam imagined it would. This wouldn't be the first time they'd had to obtain help form the local authorities, but it was usually as back up only. Here they would be asking them to hand over command of the Portland PD to her, a Major in the US Air Force. 

For a moment, Sam blanched at the mere idea. Get a hold of yourself! Sam internally snapped, reminding herself that it was just like any other mission on any other day, but she wasn't so convinced it was. 

At last Murphy came back, the expression on her face not a happy one. The woman took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before saying, "The Chief didn't much like being woken up in the middle of the night. For that matter, I doubt neither did the President. But according to the Chief I'm to give you whatever you require, in the name of _National Security_." 

Detective Riley had his eyebrows raised practically to his hairline. "The President? Jeez, I thought you were military, not NSA." 

"We are," Sam stated, then pushed herself to her feet. She needed to check on Daniel. 

"So _now_ can you tell me what's going on?" Murphy asked, anger still flashing in the woman's eyes. She and Riley fell into step on either side of Sam. 

Forcing her mind to sort out what could be said and what couldn't, Sam came up with what she felt was a reasonable explanation for needing to find the goa'uld, at least, something better than 'we're hunting a ten thousand year old alien.' "A man named Nathan Redfield stole a very important piece of technology from us." 

"That strange doohickey O'Neill gave Murray," Riley guessed. 

Sam's lips twitched at the Detective's choice of words, and nodding told them, "We were able to retrieve the item, but he still has some classified information that could hurt this country." She had to make them understand this wasn't a search and rescue operation, it was a search to kill. At the same time, Sam desperately hoped they'd find the Colonel and his brother along the way. 

"You mentioned ten others dying?" Murphy questioned, giving Sam a dark look. 

Internally, Sam groaned. Then steeling herself, she firmly told them, "I'll fill you in on that later. Right now we need to find Nathan." The Captain looked ready to argue the point, so Sam just plowed ahead. "He's the president of a company called Hert Flowers. They have a building downtown. That's the first place we need to check. Consider Nathan to be extremely dangerous. I don't want anyone shooting at him without my express permission." She had no intention of seeing another slaughter like the last one. "When we do find him, we need to take him down, but without the use of firearms." 

"But-" Riley began, clearly confused. 

"Trust me," Sam stated. "You'll live longer." 

Then Murphy stopped her, forcing Sam to turn around. "Look, me and my men will do whatever you ask, but tell me right here and now that you know what you're doing." 

Sam met the Captain's hard gaze with one of her own. No matter what her emotions were right at the moment, no matter how much she wanted to just curl up under a blanket with the morphine drip of bliss, the fact that a goa'uld was loose on _her_ planet pushed her to keep it together. "Let me do my job." It wasn't a yes or a no, but it was the best answer she could give. 

Murphy seemed to be thinking Sam's response through, and then softly said, "MacGyver's my friend." 

"He's my friend, too," Sam reassured the woman. 

It took a couple of tries, but they eventually found Daniel and Teal'c. Daniel was in a standard hospital gown, with his leg coated in a fresh cast and hanging above the bed in a sling. The cast reached almost all the way to his hip, and the glistening white against his still rough looking appearance made it look all that much more out of place. 

"Daniel, how are you feeling?" 

At the same time Daniel asked, "So what's going on?" 

Sam took in a slow breath to steady herself. Murphy and Riley were in the doorway right behind her, so she couldn't say too much, but they needed to get going as fast as possible. "Our _snake_ in the hole has taken the Colonel and MacGyver." 

"What? Why?" 

Teal'c offered, "Perhaps he believes MacGyver to still hold possession of the…device." 

"Perhaps," Sam agreed. "General Hammond's sending back up, but that could be too late. Daniel, will you be okay here on your own?" 

The anthropologist looked crestfallen, and Sam guessed he probably wanted to come along, but with a grim smile Daniel nodded. "Ya." 

"We'll be back soon." 

Teal'c joined her as she stepped back out into the hallway. Murphy and Riley had proceeded out ahead of her, and with arms crossed in irritation, the Captain asked, "So, Major, what do you have in mind?" 

***** 

Jack nudged MacGyver with his shoulder. "Hey!" he softly called, trying to wake the man up. They were still in the back of the delivery van, but it had blown a tire so most of their captors were outside putting the spare on. Only two men were in the back of the van with them now. 

Again, he tried to wake Mac with his shoulder. Their hands had been tied behind their backs, and while the knots had slipped right off, Jack had no intention of giving his one advantage away just yet. He did however intend to make sure MacGyver was all right. 

The third nudge finally woke the man, and after a moment, Jack quietly asked him, "How many fingers?" 

"I don't know, your hand's behind your back," Mac murmured, blinking rapidly as he forced himself awake. 

"Good. What's your name?" 

"Jack," Mac protested. 

"No, that's me, remember?" Jack remarked with a smirk. 

MacGyver looked at him with a raised eyebrow, but then said, "I think the worst of the concussion is over now." 

Jack frowned with worry. Mac certainly seemed far more coherent than he had, but it'd only been a couple of hours. "Are you sure?" 

Grinning, Mac replied, "Fast healers, remember?" 

The Colonel huffed out in grudging agreement. He looked up at their two guards. They couldn't be much older than twenty. "So what's he got over your heads?" Jack asked them. 

The guards exchanged quick looks, shifting from foot to foot in nervous agitation. "Don't talk to us," one of them said, trying to sound harsh, but his voice trembled as he spoke. 

Jack just gave them a friendly smile. By now Mac's ropes should have fallen off, too. It wouldn't be hard to take these boys without them getting a shot off. Catching Mac's gaze, Jack silently conveyed his intentions with a single look. 

Mac blinked, then smiled, and Jack knew the man understood. 

"You're kinda young to be kidnappers, aren't you?" Jack asked, looking back at their guards. 

"I said-" But the young man didn't have a chance to finish his sentence. 

Jack let the unconscious guard down slowly, as much because he didn't want to hurt the kid further, as because they needed to be as quiet as possible. Mac was doing much the same, taking the gun from the limp fingers and handing it to Jack. 

Slipping it away into his jacket and grabbing the other one, Jack groused, "We're surrounded by bad guys, can't you even _hang on_ to a gun, if just for show?" 

"I'd rather not," Mac replied. 

Jack made a face, but MacGyver was already moving to the edge of the back door window. "Oh!" 

"What?" Jack looked out the window himself and wanted very much to echo Mac's reaction. He'd assumed they were in a back alley of some sort, but no, they were in the middle of a warehouse. Why then, were they trying to fix the van? Unless this wasn't their final destination. 

Ducking back down, Jack quickly came up with a plan. "Doesn't look like anyone's watching the back door, we can probably just sneak right on out of here." 

"Someone will probably see us," Mac observed. 

"Or someone won't, what are you trying to do, make _sure_ someone sees us?" Jack demanded. 

Mac was taken back. "Jack, I'm only saying what's going to happen." 

"But saying it increases the chance of it actually happening." 

"You mean decreases," Mac corrected. 

"Which means increases, for _us_." Jack sighed, looking back out the window. There was still no one in sight. They were all likely helping to change the front tire. It was the perfect opportunity to slip away. "So what great idea do _you_ have?" 

"If we leave the van someone will see us," Mac stated as if it were a fact. "What about hiding _under_ the van? When they discover it empty, they'll think we took off." 

"The van's just as likely to blow up with us under it," Jack wryly commented. 

"Good point." Mac grinned. "I think I like being spotted much better." Jack agreed. "Let's go." They cracked open the door, and carefully stepped out of the van. A peek around the corner showed the other four florists wrestling with the tire. Right as they were putting it on the axle, the jack snapped, its lock giving out. The tire, not completely on, popped off and the corner of the van sank back to the ground. A stream of curses erupted from the small circle of florists. Apparently, this wasn't the first problem they'd had putting the new tire on. 

Smirking, Jack turned back to Mac, whispering, "I don't see Akh anywhere." 

They checked the other corner, scanning the edges of the warehouse, but the goa'uld wasn't in sight. Mac pointed to a stack of crates closer to the door. It looked like a good spot. "Let's go," Jack stated. 

Much to the Colonel's surprise, they made it to the crates without incident. No one had seen them after all. Then one of the crates suddenly exploded, sending wood splinters and packing peanuts in every direction. "I _thought_ too soon," Jack grumbled, ducking down as best he could. 

The next crate exploded, as well as a third, and all of a sudden they had nothing to hide behind. Brushing bits of wood away, Jack glanced over at Mac to make sure he was okay, and then looked up at Akh in annoyance. 

The goa'uld was approaching them, his hand raised, and glowing with a ribbon device that was wrapped around it. The pendent was glowing as well, which might have explained the added explosive power. While the Colonel had seen, and _felt_, the effects of the ribbon device many times before, it generally acted more like the shockwave of an explosion rather than the explosion itself. 

"I am not finished with you," Akh angrily stated. 

"What do you want?" MacGyver asked, regarding the goa'uld apprehensively. "We don't have the key." 

"The keys are useless without the Hereta to open them," Akh told them, his eyes glowing with barely suppressed fury. "You know more than this host about what has transpired since I was forced to hide from my shol'va brother, Ra. Tell me, Tau'ri, do you know where the chaapa'ai is?" 

"Nope, sorry," Jack replied, giving Akh a cocky grin. 

The goa'uld's face darkened, and the pendant glowed stronger. "Do not presume you can lie to me without consequence." 

Internally, Jack cringed. He closed his eyes a second before his body was picked up and thrown into the stack of crates behind him. It was like being hit by a train. The only good thing was that the kinetic energy was evenly spread, so while it hurt, _a lot_, he didn't think any of his bones were broken. 

"He can't tell you anything if you kill him!" 

Jack opened his eyes to see Mac on his feet and angrily yelling at the Goa'uld. Beyond them was the small group of florists. They were watching the events with nervous surprise, but none of them seemed particularly upset by the goa'uld's use of the ribbon device. Jack frowned. To him, it looked as if they didn't even realize what was happening. 

Then the Colonel's attention was pulled back to the goa'uld. The pendent was still glowing purple, and Akh calmly told Mac, "If you will not tell me what I wish to know, then there is no sense in keeping you alive." 

The snake head had a very good point. With a grunt of pain, Jack forced his muscles into motion, and unsteadily he got back to his feet. "We do know where the stargate, the _chaapa'ai_, is." 

"Tell me," Akh ordered, the ribbon device glowing again in threat. 

"It's in Colorado Springs." 

----- 

Post Story Author's Notes: To ILM, you really need to leave an email if you want any serious thoughts on what I think of that pic (or email me)…imho…tomorrow's the ep. Woot! :D 


	17. intermission

CairisRin: Eh all! *bg* Before I get into my big long tale of 'What on Earth Happened to Me!' Aka. 'My Moving Adventure,' I want to let you know that if you just want to get on with reading the very much overdue chapter, go ahead and skip ahead. If your curiosity is like mind, twisted, I'd thought I'd write this little (and not so little) intermission to tell you all about my strange moving experience which was so riddled with _strange luck_ that for a while I seriously wondered if I was becoming a method writer. O.O 

Katchi: I'm in a box! 

CairisRin: Ahhhh…so before I get into all the odd little details, I what to introduce you to my muse, Katchi. 

Katchi: I'm in _box!_

CairisRin: Yes I know, but- 

Katchi: I'M IN A BOX!!! 

CairisRin: ^.^ Needless to say most of my stuff is still in *Katchi glowers at CairisRin* er…boxes. Normally my little buddy here sits on the monitor of my compy, which thank Hipthar is now fully up and functional…minus one internet connection. :\ 

Katchi: At least _you're_ not in a box! 

CairisRin: Right, moving on. This all started just over a month or so ago, not long after I posted chapter 16. My life went wacko, but we'll skip all that and go straight to the fact that I suddenly had just one week to pack and move me and my puppin- 

Katchi: _She's_ not in box! 

CairisRin: Of course she's not! She's a dog, you're a muse, it's _totally_ different. 

Katchi: -.- You're mocking me aren't you? 

CairisRin: Pay no attention to the little furry muse, folks, he's just a _little_ cranky. ^.^ So moving day comes, my dad shows up in a borrowed pickup truck -somehow it was decided this would be cheaper than renting a U-Haul, and the next day with one rather full truck we head on down the road. Now, this isn't just some move around the corner, we're leaving the small hicksvillle of Ogden, UT, for the much larger hicksville of Gilbert, AZ. Man, I'm telling you, there are times I really miss the North. I'm a city girl! I don't belong outside a well nourished transit system!!! 

Katchi: You're getting off the story now. 

CairisRin: Right, okay. So for anyone who's never driven to Phoenix, AZ from Utah, you need to know that it's a about a 12 hour drive of which 11 hours is nothing but desert wasteland with one especially cool, yet dangerous, mountain pass right before Vegas that they call the Gorge. It's really not so bad, just don't forget to fill up on gas at the right spots. ;) 

We were only about 3 hours out when the truck suddenly lost power. And so here begins the adventure, but rather than write it all out, which would take me time I don't want to bore you with, I'm going to list what happened with bullets. 

Katchi: Hee, bullets are good, bullets are our _friends_. 

CairisRin: Er…okay then! Actually, I'm not sure if ff.net allows for bullets, what with the whole anti-lists movement, so we're going to do this with _pretend_ bullets :D 

Katchi: Hee, pretend bullets are good, pretend bullets are our _friends_. 

CairisRin: o.O I think maybe he's had a little too much heat. 

Katchi: -.- And who's fault is that? The _box_ is in a _storage locker!_ CairisRin: *innocent whistle* Um…ya…right, list…okay then...look for all the 'buts.' These are my way of telling all the bad + good = strange luck happenings. :P 

Truck broke, _but_ is would have been much worse had it happened in the Gorge. 

Engine is smoking and power is suddenly gone _but_ we're able to coast to only half a mile from the gas station. Coolant cap was popped, coolant everywhere. Smoking continues. 

Walk to gas station and discover a service station next door. Walk back with bottle of coolant and galleon of water. (And oh boy did my shoulders feel that one!) 

Katchi: I can imagine. 

CairisRin: Thank you, I appreciate that. 

Katchi: Of course my shoulders are made of wood and I don't think I actually _feel_ pain, but… 

CairisRin: -.- 

Water goes into the radiator…water comes out of the radiator (at this point I'm thinking of that one MacGyver ep and wondering if the gas station would have any eggs), _but_ it retains just enough to get the truck to the service station before it starts smoking again. 

Wait a couple hours for mechanic, who was at church, _but_ we got to watch the NASCAR with the guy on duty till the mechanic showed up. ;) (Perhaps moving on a Sunday wasn't the smartest of things…*shrug*) 

Mechanic says the rad will have to be replaced and the store with the part won't be open till the next day. So, the nice guy that he was, the mechanic gave us a ride to the local motel. Now, this local motel was next to a gas station and a Burger King, seemed to be family operated, and of the ten or so rooms there, I'm pretty sure we were their only customers. And while technically I think we landed in a town, I'm not sure which one. All the people were all spread out and didn't spot even a single office building. 

Katchi: You _are_ a city girl, aren't you? 

CairisRin: Ya think? I just don't get how people can live so far from each other. I'm sure a lot of people enjoy it, and we obviously need towns like that, but as long as I'm living on a land with cities…I'd rather be there thank you. Still. This little place we were at seemed to be full of friendly people. :) 

Catch the check-in person (and only employee currently there) right before they leave for a couple hours on errands. Dad's cell phone dies, and he's forgotten the charger. 

Walk to the gas station for a phone card _but_ discover the phone in our room doesn't work. 

Go for dinner, come across motel employee on our way back and they fix the phone _but_ then we couldn't actually get a hold of anyone we called. 

The friend who owns the borrowed truck just happened to be moving and doesn't have his phone connected yet. Actually, the whole calling this person and that person just trying to figure out what to do, how to borrow the money to do it, and readjusting appointments (my dad was supposed to be on a job the next day) was an adventure in and of itself that continued on through the next morning. x.x 

At this point we turn on the TV and the arm of my glasses falls off. 

Katchi: You're always breaking your glasses! 

CairisRin: But I didn't do anything! I swear! It wasn't even at the screw, it just suddenly _fell off!_

Katchi: Suuurrree it did. 

CairisRin: -.- 

So, back to the gas station to buy Crazy Glue (aka. Super Glue). It worked rather well, much better than I would have expected. 

The room on the whole was nice, included cable, that was fun, _but_ we couldn't for the life of us get the heater to turn off…so instead we had the window pushed wide open. (While it is spring, we're still out in the desert. Oiy!) 

Next morning mechanic calls, found parts at less than half the price, fixed the radiator _but_ on the test drive discovers that the engine head is cracked. This would be another 3 to 4 hundred and would take 3 days to actually fix. ^.^ On to Plan B!!! 

Call the local U-Haul. They only have two trucks, _but_ one of them is the perfect size and is even practically brand new! Only 500 miles on it! Yay! Unfortunately they don't have a tow bar so we can't take the truck back with us, _but_ the mechanic offers to baby-sit it for free until was can come back for it. 

Discovered this later, but almost every call that came _into_ the motel, somehow ended up reaching another room instead. Lol. We eventually got everything sorted out and was once again ready to go! By this point it was actually a couple hours after the check out time, _but_ the motel employee didn't mind in the slightest (we were their only customers after all). *g* 

Friend of mechanic drops us off at the U-Haul which happened to also be a gas station and a Subway. O.o _But_ the U-Haul guy was out to lunch. (Apparently _not_ at the Subway) 

Eventually we got the U-Haul, repacked my stuff, and got back on the road. From here on things remained good. The gorge was absolutely beautiful, and we reached the Dam at night so there was practically no traffic, which was a first, and all went rather well with no happenstances until we reached Kingman. 

There we stopped for a late dinner at Wendy's…hehe…and the employees gave my puppin a couple free patty's, she loved that! :D And we tried to call ahead to report our status. Looked like we'd be reaching Gilbert at about 2 am. Phone Card died on us, but we had some quarters. Of the two phones available, the first ate our quarters and didn't work. Honestly, I practically expected that to happen. Thankfully the other phone worked just find. And it's a good thing we called mom, she had the house key for my sisters, which was where I was going to be dropped off. We'd have gone straight there and woken up all her roomies. :P 

We picked up a lock for the U-Haul, I got dropped off, and the next day we put my stuff in storage and even had a few miles left over to help our friend move. :D 

Katchi: Great, you're moved! Now _get me out of this box!!_

CairisRin: Well…I'm out of Ogden moved…but I'm still just camping out at my sisters until I can get a new job (which I've had a few interviews for now. Yay!) and get my own place. Sorry Katchi, you're just going to have to stay there for a bit. 

Katchi: *grumble grumble* 

CairisRin: You're still doing a good job as my muse, even if it is at a distance. 

Katchi: *grumble grumble* 

CairisRin: It's not like I've replaced you or anything, and it shouldn't be too much longer before things finally settle back into place- 

Katchi: I'M IN A BOX! 

CairisRin: ^.^ Er…and this concludes our little intermission. Now go on to the next chapter to read the continuing adventures of Jack, Mac, and friends! :D 

Thanks also to all you wonderfully patient readers. I didn't mean to just drop off the face of the Earth there like that, it's just that the last two years of my life have been somewhat…unpredictable. ^.^ You probably all thought I'd abandoned it. Well, I haven't, and I've only got about 8 to 10 chapters left to go, so we're almost there. Whoohoo! :D 

Katchi: And _then_ will you get me out of this box? 

CairisRin: I promise, as soon as I can, I'll come get you…honest! ^.^ 


	18. to chase a snake

"MajorCarter," Teal'c called out. 

With the help of the Portland PD, they had gained full access to the offices of Hert Flowers. MajorCarter had led DetectiveRiley straight to the rooms on the top level while CaptainMurphy had her men search the rest of the offices for anything of any importance that would help them locate Nathan Redfield, now the goa'uld, Akh. 

MajorCarter was stepping out of the vault with a stack of gold metal sheets precariously balanced in her good hand. She looked up at the jaffa's call and took a step towards him, but had to stop again to keep the metal sheets from falling. DetectiveRiley quickly relieved her of the burden. "Thanks. Make sure these get to Daniel," MajorCarter told him and then walked over to Teal'c. "Find something?" 

"I believe I have." Teal'c handed her the folder of papers he had discovered at the desk. It was an inventory of one of the company's warehouses, but it didn't contain flowers. While no pictures were available to confirm his suspicion, the jaffa had helped DanielJackson with enough 'research projects' to know the items were ancient artifacts, the majority of them being Egyptian in origin, and one in particular that he was quite familiar with. 

"Holy Hannah," MajorCarter murmured, scanning the list herself. "They must have been collecting these for several generations." Then she found what had caught the jaffa's attention. "This item here, it could easily be a ribbon device." 

"I believe it is," Teal'c confidently stated. 

Nodding, MajorCarter looked up and around the busy room. Seeing CaptainMurphy walk in, MajorCarter motioned her head for the Captain to join them. 

"Find something?" 

"There's a good chance they went to this warehouse," MajorCarter told her, showing her the address on the inventory list. 

"Look, Major, we need a lot more to go on than just _chance_." 

MajorCarter's lips thinned in anger. There were few times in which Teal'c had ever seen the Major so upset, and in a surprisingly hard voice, MajorCarter ordered, "Get some people over there to watch the perimeter until we can join them. But they're not to do anything, even if they see people leaving. It's best if your guys aren't seen at all if they can help it." 

For one solid minute CaptainMurphy just glared back at the Major, then raising her radio she stepped away to put the order through. 

MajorCarter took a rather shaky breath and Teal'c noticed a shiver run through the Major's body. He quickly took back the paper sheets so as not to reveal her weakness to anyone else. MajorCarter barely noticed, but moved towards one of the large windows to look outside in quiet reflection. 

Teal'c joined her, silently determined to support her any way he could. Before they had been separated, O'Neill had ordered him to protect MajorCarter and DanielJackson, and he would; whether by physical protection or mental support, it did not matter. The jaffa knew how important image could be when one was in charge. 

Teal'c scanned the room with a quick glance, before he also looked out the window in contemplation. DanielJackson had related to him the events that had occurred here, but the jaffa found it rather hard to believe. Yet there below them was the banner, now flapping loose in the wind, and a vehicle with its top damaged. Grudgingly, he supposed it _could_ have happened. 

"I still can't believe it," Sam whispered. She looked over at him with worry in her eyes. "Do you, Teal'c?" 

Yet before he could respond, CaptainMurphy had returned, and giving him a rather odd look, questioned, "Teal'c? Kind of a strange last name isn't it, Murray?" She shook her head, a look of amusement briefly crossing her face. "Guess you're a lot like MacGyver in that sense." 

Teal'c raised an eyebrow in question. "How do you mean?" 

"You go by your first name, he goes by his last." 

"Captain Murphy," MajorCarter queried, the look of curiosity returning to her tired eyes. "Do _you_ happen to know MacGyver's first name?" 

"Sure. It gets written down every time he gets himself arrested," Captain Murphy replied in an offhand manner, but the look in her eyes was guarded and suspicious. 

"What is it?" 

"If with all your fancy high connections you don't know, then I'm not about to tell you. I noticed you left off mentioning him to your superior back at the hospital." She didn't give the Major time to respond, but with a huff of disdain, asked, "Do you need anything else, or are you ready to check out this warehouse of yours?" 

"No. Let's go." 

When they arrived at the building, the patrols previously dispatched reported that it had been quiet the entire time they were there. "We may already be too late," Teal'c murmured with concern. 

"Let's hope not." MajorCarter replied. Then, turning to CaptainMurphy, she instructed, "Have your men go in, but if there's any sign of people they're to use the gas grenades. We can figure out who's who afterwards." The Major had a grim enough expression on her face that CaptainMurphy didn't question the peculiar order. 

Unfortunately, as Teal'c had feared, they were too late. As soon as the warehouse had been confirmed empty, they all went inside. There they found a large vehicle bent on its side with two wheels no longer connected as they should be. Several of the crates in the warehouse were also destroyed, leaving curious white bits of debris littered across the floor. 

"Guess that means he found it," Sam wryly commented. 

DetectiveRiley raised an eyebrow in question. "Found what?" 

A look of pain creased MajorCarter's face as she realized she'd let something slip, but the jaffa thought it was rather obvious that something other than the standard tau'ri explosive devices had been used here. Turning calmly to the Detective, Teal'c replied, "A weapon of some magnitude." 

"And you didn't think you should mention this before?" CaptainMurphy demanded. 

For a second, the jaffa was worried MajorCarter was too tired to suitably deal with the accusation, but the anger from the Captain seemed to renew MajorCarter's strength. "There was only a slim _chance_ the weapon was even here. I didn't want to _bore_ you with details." 

DetectiveRiley rocked back on his feet and Teal'c considered placing himself between the two angry women, but then MajorCarter's eyes lit up they way they often did right before she suggested a solution to a rather difficult problem. 

"Check for any accident reports within the last 30 minutes." 

There were three, one inside the city, and two from nearby counties. One of which was of a truck that had crashed into a fire hydrant. 

"That's them," MajorCarter immediately determined. 

"You think our guys might have fought back and crashed the car?" CaptainMurphy guessed. 

Teal'c highly doubted that was what the Major was thinking, but she still replied with a small nod. Before they could asked anything else she crisply ordered, "Let's go, before we miss them again." 

Watching MajorCarter move towards the warehouse doors, the jaffa politely inclined his head towards the others and quickly followed after her. Behind him, he heard DetectiveRiley ask with concern, "Think anyone will be hurt?" 

"It's a strong possibility," CaptainMurphy replied, both of them following at Teal'c's heels. "Have an ambulance ready, just in case. Although knowing MacGyver he'll get himself deeper in trouble before he gets himself out of it again." 

***** 

MacGyver sneezed. 

"Getting a cold?" Jack quietly asked. 

Mac rubbed at his nose, but the itch was still there. "I hope not." 

They sat on the curb, soaked through to the bone thanks to the water that was still erupting a good ten feet into the air. They were just outside the city limits now with only the occasional house lining the road. One had its lights on, but thankfully no one had come outside yet. Mac hoped it stayed that way, for their sake. 

Four of the six florists stood in front of them, keeping careful watch while the other two were out looking around in the hopes of stealing another vehicle. After the second tire had popped off the delivery van back at the warehouse they'd given up on fixing it, but a pickup truck had been conveniently parked in the lot next door. Neither Jack nor Mac had been surprised when almost immediately the group located an extra set of keys under the tire wheel. 

Also _not_ astonishing, they hadn't passed a single soul on their way out of the city. Mac suspected that even if it was the middle of the day and they passed a hundred people, no one would have noticed them anyway. Things were just getting worse by the minute. Nearby, the streetlamp flickered and then went out, coating them in darkness. At the same time Mac thought he saw the curtains in the nearby house twitch. Whomever they'd woken when their truck spontaneously went out of control and crashed, had probably already called in the accident. It was still uncertain just what they might have seen, and with the light out now, their odd little throng would look like nothing more than a group of people by the curb waiting for help to arrive. 

Just don't come out of the house to lend a hand, Mac silently pleaded. The last thing they needed was another innocent bystander getting hurt. 

"Mac?" 

Turning to his would-be twin, Mac raised an eyebrow in question. Jack just nodded off to Mac's right. Following his gaze, MacGyver watched Akh pace, growling out something fierce in a language he didn't recognize. Apparently the goa'uld didn't like being wet, either. 

Then MacGyver looked around their little area. The florists were too nervous to be paying complete attention -all they needed was a distraction and they could probably get away. Then Jack's nudge pointed him again to the right. Looking once more where Jack was indicating, Mac suddenly noticed a section of the sidewalk beside him that looked like it was moving. 

With the light out it was hard to see, but soon enough Mac realized what gave the sidewalk its strange illusion was actually a highly active colony of ants. Lifting an eyebrow he glanced at Jack and the man gave him a rather mischievous grin, one which Mac eagerly returned. 

Leaning down so it looked like he was just resting on his knees, Mac unobtrusively began to pull out a shoe lace. Hidden in the dark, no one noticed him slip one end of the lace over the boot cuff of the guy standing nearest to him, while he planted the other right in the middle of the ants. It'd work better if he could have seasoned the lace somehow to entice the ants along it, but with luck, they'd explore the new path open to them anyway. 

Exchanging a look with Jack they quietly watched as first one ant, than another, steadfastly made their way along the lace. Once one ant found it, the rest would follow, as was only natural for ants to do. 

Now they just had to wait. Mac didn't think it'd take long, but a lot of it depended on whether or not the florist moved. "Hey, what are you doing?" A voice demanded and Mac cringed, quickly trying to make it seem as if he was retying his shoe. 

After a second he retracted his hands and looked up at the suspicious man, feigning nervousness. "Nothing." They had all the florists' attentions now, but thankfully none of them had moved or disrupted the lace from it precarious position. 

"Don't think about doing anything, demon, we're watching you," the man warned, although he looked a little uncertain with his gun. 

"You think _we're_ the demons?" Jack asked in surprise. He motioned a hand at Akh, exclaiming, "He's the one with the glowing eyes and inhuman voice!" 

The goa'uld looked at them, but a rather confident smile graced the alien's lips. Mac noticed the purple pendant was glowing even brighter than before. The man who'd issued them the warning snapped back at Jack, "Don't feed us your lies, we're impervious to your tricks, demon." 

Jack made a sound of disgust, and then Akh walked up to them, saying snidely, "They'll never believe you. They see and hear only what I wish them too." But then the goa'uld frowned. "Although I do not know why it did not work on Carter, or either of you." 

"You drugged them?" a startled Mac questioned, yet somehow he felt it might have more to do with the piece of jewelry about the goa'uld's neck than any kind of intoxicating substance. 

As if in confirmation of Mac's thoughts, Akh touched the glowing stone, saying with pride, "A gift from the Hereta." 

Mac could only take the goa'uld's word at face value. He knew nothing of alien technology but he was sure Jack would know much more. Sure enough, the Colonel cautiously asked, "Work anything like nish'ta?" 

Frowning again, the goa'uld replied, "It is not a drug, but exposure to nish'ta would explain your resilience." 

Mac barely refrained from asking them what nish'ta was. Then, in the distance he heard the faint sound of a siren. It shut off a minute later, but out here, with everything so quiet, the sound had carried to them. 

At the same time, the florists-turned-thieves pulled up in a new car. And just as the rest turned away, the man, who by this point should have had a growing portion of the ant colony up his pants, began to shake his leg in distracted annoyance. A second later his eyes went wide with sudden realization, and in a quick panic he started dancing around, frantically brushing at his leg as if he could brush the ants off through the cloth. 

"Hey! What are you doing?" One of his companions yelled as the man carelessly bumped into them. 

With one look at Jack, Mac quickly rose to his feet and the two of them made a dash for the darkened property lot behind them. MacGyver was a man of many talents with a reputation for being quick and nimble, both physically and mentally, so he was somewhat alarmed when only a few feet away, his feet seemed to catch on something and he tripped, falling flat on his face. Simultaneously, amid many shouts of confusion, bullets rang out over his head. 

Mac saw Jack hit the ground a second after his own precarious decent, but not for any reasons of faulty footing. The Colonel cried out in pain, then loudly exclaimed, "For crying out loud! That's the third time!" 

Jack was clutching his side, and while it was too dark to see, Mac just knew one of the bullets must have hit the Colonel, and most likely in the exact same spot as the still current wound. There was no use trying to get away now. Mac rolled over as rough hands grabbed his arms, pulling him up. 

"Put them in the vehicle," Akh ordered. "I want the rest of you to wait here and delay the rest. They'll look like the police, but don't be fooled. You must delay them long enough for our escape if we're to prevent the end of the world." 

"That's crazy!" Jack bit out. He looked like he wanted to say more, but most of his energy was going towards dealing with his freshly injured side. 

Equally agitated, Mac yelled out in the hope of getting them to understand, "He's lying to you! The people coming really _are_ cops. _He's_ the demon!" They paid him no mind, as if they couldn't even hear him. Then Mac was rather ungracefully shoved into the back seat of the waiting car with Jack pushed in beside him. 

Akh and one of the florists got in the front. The goa'uld turned around to face them, a superiorly smug smile on his face. "I told you, they hear and see only what I wish them to." Then his expression turned dangerous. "I do not need you both alive. Try to run again and I _will_ kill one of you." 

"As if you're not going to already," Jack grumbled, but then grunted, his face twisting with pain. 

"Jack, just sit still," Mac quietly told him. They'd get another chance for escape. The question in MacGyver's mind was if it'd do any good. 

***** 

As Sam felt her head begin to drop she snapped it back up again. She was dreadfully tired and the short ride to the accident scene was enough to lull her body into a façade of relaxation. Blinking hard, she looked around to see where they were. It was dark here, with only a few houses spotting the edge of the road and most of the street lamps off. Sam frowned. 

Detective Riley looked out his window also perplexed. "Do you think the power's out?" 

They could see where the water from the broken fire hydrant was still gushing out over the wrecked truck. No one was in sight, but they were no less cautious as Riley pulled the car to a stop. Three other cars pulled up beside them and slowly everyone got out. 

"Remember," Sam warned, "absolutely no gun fire." 

Captain Murphy was quick to organize her men into searching the area, and Sam was just as grateful to let her. With Riley and Teal'c beside her, Sam dared to get wet to look inside the abandoned truck. A quick glance didn't show anything out of the ordinary and an examination of the back turned up empty. If there'd been any blood it'd have been washed away by the water, but at least there were no dead bodies left behind. 

A sharp sound echoed through the air as a bullet impacted the bed of the truck an inch away from her hand. Sam turned sharply around to see where it had come from, but Teal'c and Riley were already pulling her to safety behind the bed of the truck but directly into the full spray of water. 

Other shots echoed through the night while everyone took cover. Riley pulled out his gun preparing to shoot back, but Sam quickly pushed it down, exclaiming, "No! Not that way." Looking around, Sam could see several shadows that could be their shooters. "T- Murray, see if you can spot Nathan." 

"I am not familiar with his new appearance," Teal'c informed her. 

Riley looked at the jaffa in surprise. "You don't know what he looks like?" 

"I do," Sam replied, internally sighing. She'd forgotten Teal'c wouldn't have seen Akh as Nathan. "Just look for a purple pendent," she told them, then repeated that over the radio. 

As reports came back negative, Riley cautiously looked over the edge of their cover. He wiped the water from his eyes and squinting into the darkness told them, "Looks like there's four of them." 

"Five," Teal'c corrected. "NathanRedfield is not among them." 

Sam felt her hopes drop. If Akh wasn't here then neither was the Colonel or MacGyver. They'd missed them, _again!_ Internally, Sam shook herself; she needed to focus on handling this situation first! "Lieutenant Kamino," she questioned into the radio, "what's your status?" 

"My men are falling into position now, but our perps look ready to move," Kamino replied. 

Then Murphy questioned, "Would it be safe for us to shoot over their heads? Keep them distracted?" 

If the goa'uld wasn't here then they were in no danger of him sending their own bullets back at them, but Sam wasn't going to tell them that. She wasn't exactly keen on killing Nathan's family if it could be avoided. "Do it." 

They couldn't see much with the spray of water constantly in their faces, but they could hear everything as it happened. On their way here Captain Murphy had suggested that the SWAT team should hold back, her idea was paying off now as the team secured the shooters without a single injury to either side. 

When the all clear came over the radio, Sam pushed herself to her feet. For a second her legs wobbled and she thought she might collapse, but Teal'c's strong hand had her under the arm, unobtrusively lending his support. Sam smiled at him in gratitude, and then as soon as she was sure her body wouldn't quit on her, she made her way over to the line up of prisoners. 

"Where are they?" Sam demanded. 

The police had them sitting on a curb with their hands handcuffed behind their backs. Now that the situation was over, most of them seemed quite afraid; one was even shaking his leg with a nervous twitch, but another boldly retorted, "We will never tell you, no matter what you do to us!" 

For a long moment Sam just stared down at them, anger and frustration giving her the fuel she needed. "I know Nathan is the head of your family, but he's not himself right now." 

"I don't care what you say to me. It is you who took the Key! It is you who is trying to end the world." 

Then Teal'c stepped up to the man, his tall looming presence causing the florist to shrink back in fear. "If fact, we are not. If NathanRedfield is allowed to continue on his current path, it is he who will prove this world's destruction. You must tell us where he has gone." 

But no matter how afraid they were, their lips were sealed. Sam wasn't even sure it was entirely of their own volition. The thought nagged at her tired mind, but she impatiently pushed it away. 

Behind her Murphy sharply asked, "End of the world? What the hell are they talking about?" 

Carter turned to the woman, meeting a mix of expressions from the surrounding cops. "They've been brain washed," she told them, forcing her mind to come up with a plausible explanation, or so she hoped. "It's a side effect of the device. We're not going to get anything from them." 

Murphy's eyes narrowed in suspicion, but the woman didn't push the issue, asking instead, "So where do we go from here?" 

Sam wasn't sure, but she didn't want to admit that. "They couldn't have gotten too far. It's probable they're heading away from the city. A few road blocks should turn up something." 

***** 

Jack stared out the windshield, watching as all the streetlights flickered off further and further ahead of them down the road. If that was any indication, things were getting worse. He twisted in his seat to look out the back window. The area was silent and dark except at the end of the street where the lights were coming back on, now a safe distance from their position. 

Worried, he met Mac's gaze, and the other man nodded in silent agreement. "It's happening faster than last time," MacGyver whispered. 

_Sweet_, Jack internally grumbled. On the bright side, the wound in his side had already sealed up. If good ol' Doc Frasier saw him now she'd have a hissy fit, but other than the growing headache, there was no indication that his body had lost too much blood from the events of the last couple days. It was the only redeeming quality of their particular curse. 

They were unlucky enough to get hurt, and lucky enough to recover quickly. Jack sighed, but then had to clench his teeth in pain as the car came to a sudden stop. The engine spit out several ear piercing squeals and even in the dark they could see the smoke rising from under the hood. 

"This is unreal!" their driver exclaimed. 

"Get out," the goa'uld ordered. Even though he now wore the ribbon device, Akh was still using the gun, and he motioned it at them as he stepped out of the car. Outside, everything looked vacant with only the edges of the horizon glowing from distant lights. Jack guessed the power was out for a couple of square miles around them, except on one side where a string of blue lights cut through the night. 

"What is that?" The florist questioned. 

Akh smiled. "Our destination." 

Jack groaned. _Of course_ the car would break down right next to an airport. The goa'uld made short work of the chain fence blocking their path then sent the florist on ahead to see what was there. 

The airport wasn't big, only one runway and five hangers off to the side. A small tower sat in the near distance, its windows darkened to be able to see outside and a red light on top to warn aircraft of the tower's position. At one end of the runway was what looked like someone's private jet, waiting to take off. 

Walking back, the florist told them, "There's a lot of people down there. I don't think we could get a plane without being noticed." 

The goa'uld turned to Jack and Mac, a thoughtful look on his face. "Which of you is MacGyver?" 

"I am," Mac replied. 

"Can you fly a plane?" 

Mac hesitated, so Jack resolutely stated, "I can. I'm Colonel Jack O'Neill, Air Force." 

The goa'uld frowned at him. "Is it the Air Force that controls the Chaapa'ai?" 

"Yes, and you're not going to get anywhere near it. Even if you tried using us as hostages, it wouldn't do you any good," Jack bluntly told him. 

To his surprise, Akh didn't seem surprised or even concerned by Jack's words. He turned back to his subordinate, telling him, "We need a diversion." 

Then all of a sudden all the lights everywhere went out. While they didn't have a good view of the surrounding city, there was a noticeable difference as the night went from the grey black of a city sky, to the deep darkness that usually only occurs in the total absence of civilization. Even the tower lights were completely shut off. Only the blue lights of the runway remained on. 

Jack felt Mac's hand on his arm. It was too dark to see anything more than shadows which meant it was also a good chance to try and escape. He heard the goa'uld angrily demand, "Is this your doing?" Somehow Jack had a feeling Akh wasn't talking to the florist. A purple glow marked where the goa'uld stood. Mac was tugging Jack in the opposite direction. He had just turned away when the wave of energy knocked them to the ground. His side protested loudly, and with an audible groan, Jack rolled over to watch the purple glow approach, and then brighten till all three of them were bathed in its light. 

"I warned you before," Akh angrily growled out, raising the hand with the ribbon device and aiming it at Mac. 

Jack hastily got up, ready to launch himself at the goa'uld in a full tackle, but before he could, the ground started to violently shake, forcing everyone down. 

Earthquakes don't make a lot of sound, especially if you're not around anything that can easily fall or crash, but the constant jerking motion and disorientation was enough to put a ringing in the Colonel's ears. As the land settled back into place, Jack shook off the lightheadedness, and quickly got back to his feet. 

He couldn't risk Akh getting a hit off with the ribbon device. Yet as soon as his hands touched the goa'uld, he knew it was a mistake. The purple pendent burst to life and energy like raw lightning surged through his body. Falling back in pain he clutched his hands protectively to his chest. The sensation dissipated quickly yet when Jack looked at his hands he fully expected to find them burnt. It was hard to tell in the purple light, but his fingers still moved, grudgingly, and they _looked_ whole. 

The goa'uld laughed, getting to his feet as he arrogantly looked down at Jack. "For all you might know about the Chaapa'ai, you obviously know very little about the power of the Hereta." 

Jack felt Mac crouch down next him, worry practically radiating from the man. "I'm okay," Jack murmured, then with Mac's help he got up again. Jack turned hard eyes on the goa'uld. "So just what is it you intend to do?" 

Akh's face darkened. "As pathetic as your species is, it must have been chance alone that you were able to kill the Hereta. Regardless, the message to my brother was sent. He will come, and we will go to meet him, and then we will watch the destruction of your planet." 

"Well that sounds pleasant," Jack sarcastically grumbled. 

With a perplexed expression, Mac repeated, "We will go to meet him?" 

"In my ship. From what this host knows, I do not believe it has been disturbed as yet." 

"Oh." 

"One question," Jack stated, asking boldly, "What was the whole point of grabbing us? Why didn't you just go straight there? You'd have saved yourself a whole lot of trouble." 

Akh gave him a rather nasty looked, and then replied, "Too much has changed. I would never have believed Ra would betray us, nor that the Shaya would so easily abandon their rightful rulers. If I am to claim any position of power then I will need information. I had presumed to find Major Carter with MacGyver. She obviously knows much of the happenings of the goa'uld. I assume you do as well." 

"So what are we talking about here, the standard torture for information deal, or do you plan on switching hosts when you're done with that one? Because I've got to tell you, I'm not really partial-" 

"Jack," Mac interrupted him, and then calmly told the goa'uld, "We'll get you to your ship, and tell you anything you want to know on the condition that you leave Earth alone." 

Jack immediately opened his mouth to negate Mac's proposition, but catching the man's eye snapped it shut again in sudden understanding. There was absolutely no way Jack would ever help a goa'uld, he'd rather die first, but it wouldn't come to that, especially if the goa'uld intended them to _fly_ to this hidden ship of his. 

"You will tell me what I wish to know whether you want to or not," the goa'uld loftily retorted. 

"I don't think so!" Jack exclaimed. "Either you promise to leave Earth alone, or we're not going any further. There are hundreds of goa'uld out there and you're so out of the loop you'd have no clue who to piss off or who not to. So you can kill us, big deal. I'd gladly give my life to save my planet." 

"That goes for me as well," Mac added. 

Regarding them with open mistrust, Akh finally replied, "Then you had best ensure my safety or my brother _will_ destroy this planet." 

Jack grimaced. "Fine." 

Their little group took but a single collective step towards the lit runway before they realized something was wrong. "What happened to the other guy?" Mac curiously questioned, looking around. 

They found him several feet away lying prostrate on the ground, his neck neatly broken on a sharp rock. "It must have happened in the earthquake," Jack commented. Akh didn't give the fallen florist much attention after that but prodded them onward. The man's death wasn't the only after effect of the earthquake. Jack could see uneven patches in the ground where the land had begun to rip from the quake's force. There was also a stir of movement as people with flashlights gathered outside the control tower. 

The jet had been abandoned where it stood at the end of the runway. Perfect for their needs. As the three of them settled into the plane's cockpit Jack began to start it up. 

Then Mac leaned over and quietly asked, "You _can_ fly this, right?" 

"Oh ya," Jack replied with a smirk. "I can fly anything. I've even flown a few spaceships from time to time." 

MacGyver thinly smiled. "That's oddly comforting." 

All Jack needed was the strip of blue lights to take off, and not unpredictably, they were the only thing on. He could see people running towards them, waving their arms trying to signal him to stop. Likewise, his headset came to life with some woman's voice frantically trying to tell him he wasn't clear to take off. 

Not bothering to respond, Jack pushed the throttle and put the plane into motion. As they lifted off the ground Jack could finally see just how much of the city had lost power. Then suddenly a looming shadow descended almost directly on top of them. Several signals went off in the cockpit and the jet plane shook like it was about to come apart. Jack put it into a dive, narrowly missing a much bigger plane as it descended down towards the city. 

Suddenly Jack knew just why the traffic controller had sounded so panicked. The air was clogged with planes, and from the looks of things only two airstrips were actually lit, their little one, and a much larger one not too far away. 

"That was close," MacGyver murmured. Jack glanced over at the man to see him clutching his armrests with white knuckles, recalling with amusement Mac's odd fear of heights. 

Jack just grinned. "Trust me. _That_ was nothing." He looked behind him at the goa'uld, but Akh seemed rather undisturbed by their near miss. Feeling his disposition sour again, Jack coldly asked him, "So, where to?" 

"Arizona." 

****** 

Post Story Author's Note: Originally I had the next chapter set in California, but considering the direction _my_ life has turned, this seemed more appropriate. ;) 


	19. crash landing

Author's Note: I knew I forgot something in my last chapter…THANK YOU YOU WONDERFUL BETAS YOU!! :D 

Author's Note2: Thanks also to all you patient readers out there. You peeps rock! And to answer a quick question, unfortunately, Murphy's Law is a staple in my life, x.x but it's taught me patience if nothing else. A friend of mine once told me she thinks I actually _thrive_ on chaos. I think she could be right. :P 

----- 

When the lights went out, Daniel was working on translating the stack of gold metal sheets the police had brought to him. The anthropologist pushed his work aside and tried to extract his leg from the sling. As luck would have it, when the earthquake began he was only half out of the bed. That quickly changed as he painfully hit the floor with the hard metal artifacts falling on top of him. Everything else clattered to the ground as the building tried to shake itself apart. 

"Ow!" 

When it ended and the lights came back on several minutes later, Daniel found himself rather ungracefully sprawled on the ground, his good leg twisted up in the blankets and his notes scattered in all directions. Shoving the rather heavy stack of metal sheets off his chest, Daniel gingerly rubbed at his newest bruise and tried to unwind his leg. 

"Doctor Jackson?" 

Daniel looked up to see Major Steve Wilder in the doorway. The Major was looking at him with worry, but very quickly mirth entered the man's eyes and Daniel could tell the guy was having a hard time not laughing out loud. 

Frowning with discouragement, the anthropologist turned back to his attempts at freeing his leg. Major Wilder quickly came over to him. "Here, let me help you." 

"Thanks." As soon as he was back to sitting on the bed Daniel noticed the rest of SG4 and SG10 coming into the room. 

"We got here as soon as we could," Major Goodrich, the leader of SG10, said, and looking out the window with grin, added, "Looks like things have been busy." 

"Ya." Daniel looked out the window as well and automatically tried to get up again to get a better view, but Wilder was quick to push him back down. "We weren't expecting the earthquake," Daniel admitted. 

"It's just bad timing," Wilder reassured him. "Where's Major Carter?" 

"Last I heard they caught a couple guys but they still haven't caught up to Akh." 

Goodrich raised an eyebrow in question. "Akh?" 

"Ya, ah, the goa'uld," Daniel clarified, gathering up the notes still left on the bed. The others helped to pick up the rest and he began putting them back into some semblance of order. "They checked in about twenty minutes ago." 

Just as he finished his sentence the phone rang. Unlike everything else in the room, it had surprisingly managed to stay on the table during the quake. Daniel arched his eyebrows and, picking up the receiver answered, "Hello?" 

"You okay Daniel?" Sam's voice came through the other end. 

"Oh ya, got hit by another _boulder_, but I'm fine," Daniel replied giving the not so light sheets of gold a reproving glare. Then, before she could ask for details, he quickly added, "SG4 and 10 just got here." 

"They have impeccable timing. Most of the power's out in the city from the quake and 911's already getting swamped with calls. Captain Murphy's not going to be able to keep her men on this anymore." 

"How close are you to finding them?" 

"We're at a complete dead end here." Daniel could easily hear the frustration in her voice but she quickly followed it up with, "I've got a few ideas where to pick it up again. Can you put Steve on the phone?" 

"Sure." He handed it over to the waiting Major, saying simply, "It's Sam." 

"Hey, Sam," Wilder said into the receiver with a small smile, but it quickly faded, and in the next moment he stated, "You got it." Then, turning to his men the Major ordered, "VonGnechten, get up to the roof and signal as soon as you're there." 

Lieutenant VonGnechten gave him a curt, "Yes, sir," and shot out the door at a run. A couple minutes later VonGnechten's voice came back over the radio, "Here, sir." 

"All right, Sam," Wilder said into the phone, "What are we looking for?" He listened for a minute, then fingering the radio, asked, "Von, in the entire blacked out section of the city can you see anything that still looks like they have power?" 

"Yes sir, another hospital, not including this one, and what appears to be a small airport." 

Major Wilder repeated what VonGnechten had said to Sam. Then after another minute of listening, replied, "We'll see you there." He hung up the phone and turning to the waiting group informed them, "We're heading to the airport. Let's go folks." 

Daniel quickly pushed himself off the bed. "I'm coming with you." 

"No," Wilder firmly told him. "You're staying here and calling General Hammond. If the gould manages to get on a plane we'll need NORAD to track it." 

Reluctantly Daniel sat back down again. It just felt so wrong to be here in the hospital when the rest of SG1 was out there, actively doing something. As soon as SG4 and SG10 had left Daniel reached for the phone, but all he got was a message that all the lines were occupied. He tried a few times before he realized he wasn't going to get through. 

And he no longer had his cell phone. They weren't allowed in the hospitals, but surely _someone_ could get him a line out. There had to be some dedicated lines here _somewhere_ for emergencies. Once again he pushed himself out of the bed. 

It was awkward moving about with his cast, and his hands sought anything to grab a hold of for balance. He finally found an IV stand that he could take with him to hand on to and managed his way out of the room. As soon as Daniel reached the elevators he knew it was a mistake. 

It was chaos. All the elevators were in use as people came in and out, moving patients to the spare rooms as fast as possible. 

Daniel didn't have a lot of experience with earthquakes, and while it had knocked just about everything down, the hospital hadn't collapsed and it _had_ ended rather quickly. But from the activity here he could only guess they were getting an overload of patients in the ER. There was no way he was going to find an open phone line in time. 

Slowly, Daniel made his way back to the relative quiet of his room and shuffled his way over to the window to see for himself. It was still dark, especially with the power out in most of the city, but it also made it easier to spot the blinking red and blue lights of emergency vehicles, and there were a lot of them. 

***** 

Teal'c scanned the dark ground while Major Carter and Detective Riley handled the small crowd at the control tower. With the Captain's urgings, the Detective had decided to stay with them and drive them straight over. Teal'c felt CaptainMurphy had very much wanted to remain as well, but she had been needed elsewhere, and only after expressing her deep desire to MajorCarter that she 'be kept in the loop' had the Captain let them go. 

Something caught the jaffa's eye and he walked over to the shadowed lump on the ground. It was a man, dead from a fall. A search of the body produced a gun and Teal'c reasoned the man had most likely been one of O'Neill and MacGyver's captors. 

His keen eyes could see no other shadows out of place so he carefully made his way back to the others. Two from the crowd looked to be animatedly talking with the Detective while MajorCarter stood apart. As soon as she saw Teal'c approaching she made her way over and quietly asked, "Find anything?" 

"I believe your assumption was correct. I found the body of one of Redfield's family in the field beyond." He saw the Major's breath catch and he calmly reassured her, "There was no one else there. If the Colonel and MacGyver had been here with the goa'uld, all of them have now left." 

MajorCarter swore, surprising the jaffa, but he did little more than raise an eyebrow. She didn't even notice as she turned away, anger coloring her face. "We're going to loose them, Teal'c." 

He wanted to reassure her that that would never happen, but he himself had watched many friends die in battle. Then DetectiveRiley was walking back to them. "A small jet plane took off not too long ago. Air traffic control tried to radio them but they didn't get any response. Another thing, they don't know who was flying it. The owner of the jet as well as the contracted pilot are both still here." 

"That has to have been them. Can I use your phone?" 

Detective Riley tossed it over to her, but MajorCarter snapped it closed again a minute later, her disposition darkening as she handed it back. "Your service is out." 

Five minutes later MajorWilder, MajorGoodrich, and their respective teams showed up. "Did you get a hold of General Hammond and NORAD?" MajorCarter asked as soon as they stepped out of their jeeps. 

"I told Daniel to do it so we could get over here as fast as possible." 

Again MajorCarter swore. Teal'c was no longer surprised by this reaction, but the rest of the SGC members were not only startled but somewhat alarmed by it. "The lines are all clogged now and Daniel doesn't have his cell phone," MajorCarter snapped. "Give me your phone." 

MajorWilder was quick to hand it over, but as they all listened in on the conversation, it was clear it was already too late. When she finally hung up she leaned against the jeep in defeat and exhaustion. "There were too many planes being rerouted to other airports for NORAD to locate ours now. They could have gone in any direction." 

Teal'c frowned with worry. The day's events were beginning to strain the Major past her capacity. DetectiveRiley must have noticed that as well because he gently suggested, "Then how about we go back to the hospital?" 

MajorCarter merely shook her head, some strength returning to her face with her determination. "We have to get back to the mountain. Major Goodrich, take your team to the site. The structure's a little unstable, probably more so after the earthquake, but see if you can find anything to help us." She made a face, "I hate to say it, but you might need to call the NID to help with clean up." 

MajorGoodrich just grinned at her, "Don't worry, we'll get it covered. Just find our snake." 

She smiled in appreciation, then, turning to MajorWilder said, "We need to pick up Daniel on our way back." She grabbed the jeep's door and pulled it open, saying as she was about to get in, "Detective, thank you for the help, I'll give you a call." 

"Hey!" Riley grabbed her arm, stopping her. "You can't just drop me like that, I'm coming with you." 

Most of the SGC members had moved to pull DetectiveRiley away from the Major, but Teal'c knew the Detective meant no harm so he stepped between them and put his hand on DetectiveRiley himself. "It would be safer if you were to remain here." The Detective looked at the jaffa, startled, but a moment later Teal'c felt the man understood what he was really saying. Sounding a little less sure, DetectiveRiley still protested, "What about MacGyver and the Colonel?" 

Giving him a pain filled expression, MajorCarter told him with earnest sincerity, "I'll let you know what happens as soon as I can." 

DetectiveRiley finally stepped back. "You better, or the Captain's going to have my hide!" Then he turned to Teal'c, fierce eyes staring the jaffa down as he pulled out a little card and handed it over. "You're going to make sure she gets that arm looked at, and you're going to catch this guy, and you're going to make sure she calls me, right?" 

With a faint smile, Teal'c inclined his head in agreement. When he looked up again he could see traces of humor on the SGC members' faces, even MajorCarter seemed pleased by DetectiveRiley's actions. After a few more final orders, the group split up and went their separate ways with words of 'good luck.' 

As Teal'c crammed in the back with SG4, MajorWilder headed the jeep back into town. They were as far as five minutes down the road before the Major asked, "Who's MacGyver?" 

Teal'c could see Carter in the front seat wearily lean her head back. She didn't respond, so Teal'c answered, "He is a friend of O'Neill's." 

"A civi?" Teal'c nodded, and MajorWilder exclaimed, "The damn gould took a civi hostage with the Colonel?" Again Teal'c nodded. 

Then LieutenantVonGnechten curiously inquired, "When you say MacGyver, do you mean _the_ MacGyver?" 

"I do." 

There was a series of awe filled sounds from the row of men beside him and Teal'c raised his eyebrows at them in wonder. 

***** 

MacGyver nervously watched as Jack continuously checked the side window, like he was trying to look behind them. Leaning over, MacGyver murmured, "What are you looking for?" 

"Fighters," Jack calmly replied. 

His blood running cold, MacGyver asked in a strained voice, "Would they shoot us down?" 

"Probably." In Mac's mind Jack sounded far too calm about it, then the Colonel told him, "But if they haven't shown up by now, they're not going to." 

Mac sank back into his seat not very reassured. He looked out the dark window at the distant ground below. He didn't care much for heights, and flying with his friend, also named Jack, Mac had grown a fine appreciation for pilots as well as a deep seeded fear of crashing; something that had come close to happening on multiple occasions with _that_ Jack. 

Regarding the complacent Colonel flying the plane, Mac tried to feel the same way about their current situation. The goa'uld at their back didn't bother him in the slightest. Nor the fact that they'd been tossed from one event to the next without pause for breath. Chaos wasn't anything new to MacGyver, and normally he'd be just as relaxed about it as his counterpart. But never before had he gone into the air at the same time as Jack, let alone in the _same_ plane. 

They had kept in touch almost for that reason alone. 

Off to their left, the sky began to transform from blue to red to yellow as the sun crept over the horizon. For a moment MacGyver forgot all his worries. He'd never seen a sun rise in a plane before, and he watched it with awe, a small smile curling his lips. 

The moment was rudely shattered as the goa'uld suddenly demanded, "Where are we?" 

"Just reaching Arizona now," Jack growled out and then caustically asked, "We going anywhere in particular? Or you want I should just circle the state a few times?" 

"Impudent tau'ri," Akh snapped back. Yet before the goa'uld could give them any further directions, several lights in the cockpit began flashing, accompanied by a small chirping noise that sounded dreadfully ominous. "What are you doing?!" 

"I'm not doing anything," Jack testily retorted. "There's something wrong with the plane." 

"Then fix it!" 

Jack turned in his seat to glare at the goa'uld. "How?" When Akh didn't readily answer, Jack added, "Would _you_ like to fly the plane?" 

MacGyver thought for a second that the Colonel would actually let go of the stick, but he finally turned back around. Gripping his armrests tightly, Mac braced for what he'd known would happen from the second they took off. 

An explosion rocked the plane and Jack had to fight to get it level again. "Ah, crap! An engine just blew." 

That wasn't something they could fix, his mind automatically informed him, and almost desperately, Mac wished he could close his eyes, but they refused to shut as he was forced to helplessly watch the ground get closer and closer. 

Jack was able to control the decent of the plane well enough that they didn't hit the ground and explode in a dramatic fireball, but they _did_ hit the ground, several times in fact. First the plane lost its tail, then a wing, and then after a fierce beating, practically fell apart, leaving a trail of wreckage amidst the mountains of Northern Arizona. 

When MacGyver regained consciousness, he found himself looking up at the sun with nothing between him and the sky above. Groaning, he tried to get up, but realized he was still buckled to the seat. While the entire top of the cockpit was gone, their seats remained perfectly intact. 

Jack was slumped over, but there were any visible injuries, at least not any _new_ ones. Mac twisted around to look for Akh, finding the goa'uld no where in sight. They were sitting in the largest piece of debris visible -running from the backs of their seats to the nose of the plane. Would Akh have survived the crash? If it wasn't for the fact that he'd been expecting it, MacGyver would have been surprised that he and Jack had survived. Most would call it a miracle, but MacGyver rarely believed in miracles anymore. 

Unclasping the seatbelt, Mac slowly got to his feet, holding onto the seat to keep himself upright. His body was shaking like it was ready to collapse in shock, but as far as he could tell he had sustained no new injuries. 

Then Jack groaned, coming around. The Colonel blinked against the bright light, and looking about with a semi glazed expression, huffed out, "Any landing you can walk away from…" 

Chuckling, Mac asked him, "Are you hurt?" 

"No, and _yes_." Jack squeezed his eyes shut in pain as his hand went to his injured side. "Damn but this hurts." 

"Don't try to move," Mac told him, looking around to see if there was anything he could use to get them some help. The radio looked shot, but with the right bits that might be repairable. 

Yet Jack wasn't listening, and freeing himself from his safety restraint the Colonel got out of the seat, stumbling away from the broken cockpit as fast as he could. Mac followed, worried Jack would hurt himself further. "Jack! Slow down, you need to rest." 

"We need to get out of here!" Jack retorted, climbing the hill. He stopped at the top and Mac quickly caught up. They could see most of the wreckage from the higher vantage point. Desert vegetation didn't grow tall enough to block it out and they could easily see where the plane had scoured the land. 

Mac turned to see if he could figure out where they were. The sun was still rather low in the eastern sky, so not a great deal of time had passed since the crash. The mountains blocked his sight to the north, but the hills seemed to descend to the south; that would be their best route. Perhaps the crash itself would have been noticed. 

Beside him, Jack wondered out loud, "Do you think the snakehead made it?" 

As if in response, they heard Akh's unearthly voice yell out to them, "Tau'ri!" The goa'uld stumbled out of the wreckage, half his body torn or burnt, but he had the hand with the alien device raised towards them and glowing with his fury. 

"Oh for crying out loud!" Jack groaned. "Can't you just die!" 

Like an answer to his plea, a bolt of lightning descended upon the goa'uld from a cloudless sky. Mac flinched at the sound of the alien's scream, but when it was over, he was fairly certain the goa'uld was dead. 

"Thank you!" Jack exclaimed heavenward, and began back down the hill. 

"Jack!" Mac called out, feeling suddenly like they shouldn't get too close. 

"I don't want to leave Gould technology for just anyone to find," Jack explained, reaching the still smoldering body. 

"Do you think that's wise right now?" Mac persisted, the warning feeling gnawing at his gut. 

"Why not? Lightning never strikes the same place twice." As soon as Jack said it, the Colonel paused, his hand hovering above the purple pendent. "Ah crap!" He turned and the two of them scrambled back up the hill. 

Mac could almost feel the surge of electricity in the air around him, as not one, but three more deafening cracks of lightning struck ground. Almost as an afterthought, clouds began to roll in from over the mountains. The air grew suddenly cold, then just as quickly, thick with renewed heat. 

It never actually rained, and the clouds passed by quickly, but in the short time they were there, they lit up the sky in amazing bursts of brilliant light. Unfortunately, one of the many bolts of electricity struck the Arizona shrub just right to set it aflame. 

They'd taken cover as best they could, but as the clouds rolled away, they could clearly see the growing fire left behind. "This can't be good," MacGyver commented, watching the flicking red grow and spread. 

"Ya think?" For a moment neither of them moved, but in the next, Mac helped Jack to his feet and the two of them took off down the mountainside as fast as they could. The fire trailed after them with amazing speed, the very nature of the dry plants providing the perfect fuel. 


	20. return to the SGC

Author's Note: Sorry to say, Katchi's still in the box. Looks like I'll be moving again in a month, and honestly I'm not sure what box he's in. ^.^ 

Author's Note2: Katchi would like me to inform you that he thinks I'm a very cruel author. I don't think I'm that bad, I can't help how crazy my life is. Take today for example. As soon as I get this posted I've got to reformat this compy because something went wrong, _somewhere_, and I can't for the life of me figure out where! Oiy! 

Author's Note3: Here's a big hug and thank you to those still reading this monster. Not to mention my patient betas', sealrescuer and dimac99. Whee! This chapter is the first of two info chapters that'll dropping some new info in your laps, go over a bit of old stuff, and confirm things you probably suspected all along. :P Unfortunately, there'll be a couple week wait for the next chapter because, while it's written, one of my beta's just went on vacation for a week or so. Woot! 

Author's Note4: It wasn't easy trying to get all the science stuff to come out right. My roomies were always the science geeks, not me, so if it's not 'exactly' correct, I plead insanity and a love for anything scifi! ;) 

----- 

When SG1 was finally admitted into Janet Frasier's care, she was ready to cuff them to their beds and throw away the key. All three of them looked completely exhausted, the 'worse for wear' being an understatement. Even Teal'c seemed ragged around the edges. Janet wondered when the jaffa had last had the opportunity to perform kelno'reem, an action just as vital to the jaffa as sleep was to humans. 

"Do we have any idea what the goa'uld plans to do?" General Hammond asked as soon as Sam finished her verbal report. 

Janet turned from the x-rays of the Major's arm in time to see the expression of pain on Sam's face before she schooled her features back to normal. "No, sir. Originally he tried to send a message to his brother." 

"A message which may or may not have gotten out," Hammond guessed. 

Then Daniel added from the next bed over, "His name is Sedet. No one we know, but it's been several thousand years, Ra might have killed him a long time ago." 

Hammond took all that in, and then with a grim expression stated, "For now, we'll just have to wait and see what turns up." 

Janet took her opportunity to step up and firmly added, "In the mean time I _highly_ recommend SG1 be allowed to recuperate." They looked ready to protest so Janet leveled one of her sternest glares at them. 

The General nodded in agreement. "We'll fully debrief as soon as you've all had time to rest." 

Sam's expression twisted with both pain and worry. "Sir, we might not _have_ time." 

"You're no good to anyone in your current state, Major," General Hammond firmly told her, and that was the end of the discussion. 

"Yes, sir." 

As soon as he left, Janet put her two cents in to reinforce the General's order. "Sam, you've got a fracture under that gash on your arm, you're lucky it didn't shatter." She could only guess how much strain Sam must have been putting on it. While Daniel looked somewhat better than the rest, they all looked like refugees from a war, one fought at ground zero. 

The Major looked away in frustration, but then her shoulders sagged in defeat and it was clear any reserves of energy had been completely spent. Now that they were relatively away from prying ears, it was all Janet could do to keep her mouth shut about the discovery she'd made while they were gone. Concern for their health far outweighed any other emotion, but that didn't make it any easier. 

It was only four hours later when SG1 emerged from the infirmary, clean again and looking far more rested than before, although what they all needed was a week's leave, but for now the few hours would have to suffice. Before they could go, Janet held them back, quietly telling them with excitement, "There's something I have to show you guys." 

She led them to one of the labs, letting them all get settled on any available stool before firmly shutting the door behind her. While Sam's report to the General had mentioned MacGyver, she had referred to him only as a passing civilian, saying nothing about his likeness to Colonel O'Neill. Which meant they were still keeping the secret, and that meant what she was about to show them wasn't something they would want widely known. 

"What is it Janet?" Sam asked, shifting the sling to a more comfortable position around her neck. Janet had opted not to put the arm in a hard cast until she was sure the cut wouldn't become infected. Watching Sam fidget, she was now reconsidering the idea. 

"All right." Janet pulled out two vials of blood from the fridge. "_This_, is MacGyver's blood. And _this_, is the Colonel's. They're exactly the same." 

"Do we not already know this?" Teal'c asked. 

"We do. But watch this." Janet carefully put the vials in holders, then making two slides with a drop of blood from each vial, carried one across the room to the opposite counter and added a drop of iodine. Firmly screwing the lid back on, Janet put the iodine bottle back into the cupboard above. Then, leaving the slide where it was, she walked back to get the other one. 

Janet placed the second slide near the first and stepped back to wait. It took only a few seconds to happen and as they waited in silence, Janet heard the telling thud from inside the cupboard. She could see the door crack open just that barest amount as the liquid formed between it. 

"What?" Daniel asked, confused, but a moment later they all saw the drip of iodine fall to the counter, landing directly on the second slide. 

"That," Janet stated definitely, and then she repeated the test with a new iodine bottle, this time leaving it on the counter so they could all see it clearly as it spontaneously fell over and leaked over the unaltered slide. 

Both Daniel and Sam sat up straight in shock after that, simultaneously exclaiming, "Whoa!" 

"And that's not all," Janet told them, grinning now that she'd gotten the response she herself had when it first happened. Since then, she'd gone through quite a few iodine bottles to figure it out. She made two fresh slides of blood and being careful to keep them separate from each other infected one with a virus. 

Placing it under the electron microscope, she pulled it up on the computer screen. They watched as the virus took immediate action against the blood's cells. Janet then put the unaffected slide under the scope next to the first where they could see both samples at the same time. 

It was hard to make out at first, but soon the second blood sample was also reaming with the virus. "That's just not possible!" Sam exclaimed. 

"I know, I had a hard time believing it myself," Janet agreed. 

Frowning, Daniel asked, "I thought viruses had to be passed somehow? Are the samples touching?" 

Janet shook her head. "No. I must have done it a hundred times. As long as they're not anywhere near each other, they remain different, but as soon as they come close enough, they change on their own until they're _exactly_ the same." She could appreciate their skeptical expressions, and with a grim smile added, "I think I might even have a clue as to why." 

Making sure to clean up all the previous slides, Janet made a fresh and uncontaminated one, placing it under the scope and setting the magnification high enough for them to have a close up view of one of the blood cells. "What do you see?" She asked, turning to face them. 

Sam was the first to get it, her jaw slowly dropping in shock. "It's completely symmetrical." 

"What exactly does that mean?" Daniel questioned. 

"It means," Janet answered, "that it's not natural. It's got to be manufactured, if one can put it that way. Of all the times I've had to examine the Colonel's blood I never once noticed, but all of the cells in his body are like this, I'm positive of it." 

Awkwardly, Daniel told them, "Well, Jack did tell me he was test tube baby." 

But Sam shook her head, his eyes still fixated on the screen. "This is way beyond anything we're currently capable of. Even the first successful infant born after conception _in vitro_ wasn't until 1978. The only plausible way their cells could be so uniform would be if something was affecting them on the quantum level." 

"Quantum?" 

Janet could see even Teal'c arching his eyebrow in confusion. She herself didn't understand quantum physics too well. Her mind had tried to explain it as a form of some sort of biological robots, like purely organic nanites, but that hadn't made too much sense, either. 

The jaffa very pointedly stated, "Colonel O'Neill is not from an alternate reality." 

"No, the word quantum doesn't actually refer to alternate universes," Sam said, realizing how the jaffa would come to that assumption. "Quantum mechanics basically deals with the relationship of atoms, molecules and anything else subject to the uncertainty principle. Like the fall of an electron from one energy level to another." 

Daniel arched his eyebrow like Teal'c's, which hadn't lowered yet, then raising a hand as if he could grasp understanding from the air, asked, "So…and I know I'm going to regret this…but why do we call the alien device that takes us to alternate realities a quantum mirror?" 

Sam actually blushed with embarrassment. "It has to do with the sudden change of state in one system to another." That didn't seem to help anyone, so half pulling her arm from the sling to talk with her hands, Sam tried to explain. "Okay, we know that there are an infinite number of realities for an infinite number of possibilities." They slowly nodded. "Each possibility stems from a different decision made at any given point in time. Up until that point everything should be _exactly_ the same." Again they nodded. "There's still so much about quantum physics we don't understand yet that it's possible that a change on an atomic level actually plays a major role in affecting the outcome of any given situation." They continued to stare at her with blank expressions, so Sam added, "Teal'c, if you could go back to the day you helped us escape from Apophis, would you change your mind?" 

"I would not." 

"Well in some reality, somewhere, you did, and not because of anything that was different previous to that point." 

The jaffa seemed quite disconcerted by the idea. "That would be highly unlikely." 

"But possible," Sam insisted. 

Janet felt she could understand what Sam was saying, but it did nothing to explain the anomaly on her screen. "How does that relate to what's happening to the Colonel?" 

"All I'm saying is it has to be happening on a subatomic level. When you think about it, everything affects everything else. While we know what makes up an atom, who's to say the exact positioning of the electrons and protons doesn't have an effect on everything around them? I mean this is a field of science we've only scratched the surface of." 

Daniel's face was pinched together in worry. "If we're only just starting to understand this stuff, how could Jack and Mac possibly get mixed up in it?" 

"Might it have been an accident?" Teal'c suggested. 

Janet shook her head. "No. This is too deliberate." 

"Not necessarily," Sam argued. "But we won't know any more unless we can talk to their parents." 

"Ah," Daniel interrupted, "That might not do any good. When Jack and I were trapped in the…" he hedged, like he was reluctant to use a particular word, "_box_, he told me a few things about where he and Mac come from." 

"FamilyView?" Sam guessed. Daniel nodded, but Janet was more concerned about what had happened while they were gone. She'd heard Sam's initial report to the General, but there hadn't been anything in it about a box. 

"Jack told me he and Mac were part of an experiment secretly conducted by a guy who worked there. I think he said his name was Ralph Gents. Their parents knew nothing about it." 

"What has become of this RalphGents?" Teal'c questioned. 

"He's dead," Sam said sounding rather sure but startled at the same time. "That was one of the names of the people who died in the explosion at FamilyView." 

"Back when the Colonel and MacGyver were nine and both missing?" Janet guessed. 

Sam nodded, her eyes lost in thought. "If the same thing happened then that's happening to them now, it could explain the Colonel's reluctance to let anyone know about his relationship to MacGyver." 

"What is happening now?" Daniel finally asked. 

Helplessly shrugging, Sam admitted, "I don't know, exactly. It's certainly nothing I can _explain_, but we do know things are being affected abnormally by their presence." She motioned to the screen still showing one of the Colonel's red blood cells. "By their blood alone." 

Janet looked at the screen as well, and fully agreed with Sam as she stated, "We need more information." 

***** 

"Sir, we have an incoming wormhole," the technician, Sergeant Davis, said as he looked up. 

General Hammond nodded. Standing in front of the controls Hammond could easily see both the activating wormhole and what the screen was telling them, but somehow hearing Davis actually say it always made it seem less intimidating. Anything could come through the gate, and while the iris kept out most unwanted objects, it didn't always work. They'd been lucky up this point that only potential allies seemed to have the technology to dismantle their defenses. Yet, just in case, a string of SFs entered the gate room, guns loaded and poised to fire. 

"It's a Tok'ra IDC, sir." 

"Open the iris," Hammond quickly ordered. He waited till he could actually see who came out of the wormhole before walking down to the gate room himself. General Hammond's arrival and the familiar face on the ramp were good enough for the watching SFs to deem the situation safe. They lowered their guns and courteously backed up out of the way, but still remained watchful until the wormhole actually disengaged. 

"Jacob," Hammond greeted with a warm smile and an outstretched hand. "What brings you to our neck of the woods?" 

"Hey, George," greeted Jacob Carter, Samantha Carter's father, and recently turned host to the tok'ra, Selmak. He shook Hammond's hand but his smile was grim. "I'm afraid I've come with some bad news." 

Hammond sighed. "I wish I could say I wasn't expecting it." Especially after what Major Carter had reported to him. "Let's talk in my office." 

Jacob frowned. "You might need to make some plans in a hurry on this one, George." 

Hammond nodded, changing his mind as he led Jacob away from the stargate and into the briefing room. Along the way he stopped a passing Airman, ordering him to fetch SG1 from the infirmary. 

"Infirmary?" Jacob questioned with a mix of both alarm and concern. "Did something happen?" 

"A few things," Hammond ruefully told him. 

Doctor Frasier came into the briefing room with SG1, which was fine by the General, he was just happy to see SG1 looking human again. Jacob immediately took note of all their injuries, especially his daughter's as he worriedly questioned, "Sam?" 

"I'm fine, Dad," she replied. Hammond was just glad Jacob hadn't seen them when they first got back, or he'd be getting more than just a concerned parent's glare. Then looking around, Jacob asked, "Where's Jack?" 

Regret showing in his normally placid voice, Teal'c informed him, "Colonel O'Neill has been taken captive by the goa'uld, Akh." 

Jacob looked at the jaffa startled, and then turning to Hammond wryly commented, "When you say a few, you mean a lot, don't you?" 

"Why don't you tell us why you're here, Jake," Hammond suggested 

"Right." Jacob pulled out a small device and placed it in the center of the table. With the press of a button, a moving hologram projected itself above the device to show them a ship with various words in goa'uld displayed below it. "One of our operatives was doing a routine scan of bases in Baal's territories when this ship passed close enough to be picked up. The energy signature would indicate it's goa'uld technology, but it's not like anything we've seen before. And as far we can tell it's heading directly for Earth." 

"I guess that answers the question of 'whether the message got out or not,'" Dr. Jackson dryly commented. 

Hammond glanced at him, and then asked Jacob, "How long until it gets here?" 

"Not long," Jacob told them. "A day at most. I'm sorry we couldn't warn you sooner, but we were lucky to have even noticed their passing." 

Raising a hand to forestall any suggestion of blame, Hammond asked instead, "Do we have any idea why they're coming or how to stop them?" 

"It has to be Sedet, responding to Akh's message," Dr. Jackson immediately stated. 

Again Jacob frowned in confusion. "I'm not familiar with those goa'ulds." 

"I was afraid of that. Apparently, Akh, Sedet, and Ra were all brothers." 

"We found Akh buried here on Earth…yesterday?" Major Carter added, furling her brows as she tried to remember what day it was. When this was all over, if they were all still around, the General planned on seeing that SG1 took some solid down time. "We knew he was attempting to send a message to Sedet," Major Carter continued, "but we weren't sure if he was successful." 

"This would be a violation of the treaty, so we'll try contacting the Asgard. But if that doesn't work we'll need other options," Hammond told them. In his experience, plan B tended to work better than plan A. 

"Would perhaps bargaining Akh to Sedet ensure Earth's safety?" Teal'c suggested. 

"Only if we give up the Key with him," Dr. Jackson grimly stated. 

"Key?" Jacob curiously inquired. 

Teal'c pulled the small white object from the seemingly endless recesses of his pockets and handed it over to Jacob. They watched as Jacob's head briefly dipped and then with glowing eyes he examined the object. "This is made from azerat crystal, only the oldest pieces of goa'uld technology utilize it." It was Selmak's voice coming from Jacob's mouth as the tok'ra spoke. 

"Selmak, you're one of the oldest living Tok'ra around, right?" Dr. Jackson questioned. 

A small grin graced Jacob's lips as the tok'ra answered, "I generally do not discuss my age, but yes, I am." 

"Have you ever heard of the Hereta or the Shaya?" 

Frowning, Selmak replied, "The names are familiar, but I do not recall why." 

"You don't recall?" Major Carter asked in surprise. "I thought all your memories were passed on genetically?" 

"It is not easy, but it is possible for a queen to choose what is passed on to larvae and what is not." 

"Do you know where you come from?" 

"Like most Tok'ra, from our queen, Egeria." 

"No, I mean the goa'uld in general," Major Carter expounded. 

Her father's head briefly dipped again and Jacob Carter demanded, "Just what are all these questions _really_ about?" From the tone in his voice, Selmak wasn't very happy. 

Major Carter was taken back by her father's reaction so Dr. Jackson quickly interceded. "It's just that we found evidence here to suggest that Akh, Sedet, and Ra were from a goa'uld society that existed previous to the System Lords." 

"And we believe that that Key," Major Carter added, "combined with two others, is actually a database of all their technology." 

Jacob seemed to look at the crystal with new consideration. "If that's true, then this could be a very effective bargaining chip." 

"Not if Akh manages to contact Sedet again. According to him only the Hereta can unlock the keys and he knows we already blew them up." 

General Hammond felt only a little better than Jacob looked. While he was sure he had yet to get the full report about everything that happened, he had enough information to realize Major Carter was referring to the mission where the Key was originally found. "So how do you suggest we go about locating the goa'uld, Akh?" 

For once, Major Carter looked at a loss for words, and then Teal'c suggested, "Would it not prove easier to locate ColonelO'Neill instead?" 

Hammond wasn't sure how that made things easier, but Major Carter's face lit up like it was the best idea in the world. "Yes, you're right Teal'c, it would!" 

"I thought you said he was with Akh, how would looking for Jack make things easier?" Jacob asked, voicing the question Hammond himself was considering. 

All at once SG1 looked nervous, and then Dr. Frasier spoke for the first time, calling Major Carter's name in such a way that General Hammond suddenly knew they'd all been purposely keeping something from him. Feeling his expression harden, General Hammond sternly questioned, "Does this have anything to do with the break in? And the mysterious phone call we had from the man posing as Colonel O'Neill?" 

Their fidgeting was all the confirmation he needed. "It's a little complicated, sir," Major Carter hesitantly told him. 

As angry as Hammond was by their deception, thankfully Earth's possible destruction held greater precedence in his mind. "We will discuss this in greater detail _later_. If you think you have a way of locating the Colonel, then do it. I'll see about contacting the Asgard for help." Hammond sighed. "I have a lot of phone calls to make." 

"Yes, sir." 

Hammond trusted SG1 to work on giving him a viable solution, as they had so many times before. Without knowing what the approaching goa'uld's intentions _really_ were, it was hard to know what to prepare for, but as Major Carter had told him on the phone early that morning, it was best to prepare for the worst. 


	21. finding Jack and Mac

Author's Note: A huge thanks to the readers, the reviewers, and especially my betas, Dimac and SealRescuer! :D I changed a few things after their corrections but didn't send it back to them because of my own impatience (RL is starting to be an annoying time sucker! -.-) so any mistake big or small are all mine! In fact, even after beta'ing, all further mistakes are mine, too, cause well, I'm the author, and I'm not always smart enough to listen to my beta's suggestions. ;)

Author's Note2: The story's nearing completion and my life is insane!! Who said RL could have priority in the world? What is up with that! Not to mention, what could go wrong _has_ gone wrong this last week. x.x But I move again in just two weeks! Whee! Katchi will be happy, he can finally come out of the box. I'll be happy, cause I need the help with tying up all these loose ends here. :D

Okay, enough of me bugging you all, enjoy and well wishes! :D

------

"Mac, hold up!" Jack called out. His entire left side was engulfed with pain, making it harder and harder to keep going. He_ seriously_ needed a break!

MacGyver quickly backtracked to Jack, grabbing an arm and pulling it around his shoulders. "We need to keep going if we're going to stay ahead of the fire."

"It doesn't matter where we go! This fire is _always_ going to be nipping at our heels!" Jack protested, trying to pull away from Mac, but his energy reserves were nearly spent. "Just stop, will ya?!"

The man continued to pull him along so Jack made like dead weight and stubbornly sat down. Incredulous, Mac exclaimed, "Jack, what are you doing?"

"I'm not moving anymore, that's what I'm doing!" Jack snapped.

"Jack, if we don't keep ahead of the fire, it could kill us," MacGyver tried to reason, but Jack honestly didn't care.

"And would it really be so bad if it did?" He demanded, crossing his arms and setting his jaw as he stared his would-be twin down.

MacGyver frowned. "I don't seriously believe you want to die, and neither do I." Jack didn't respond, but turned instead to watch the approaching cloud of smoke. With a sigh of resignation Mac sat down next to the Colonel, and leaning on his knees said, "We still have some time."

The ground began to roll in an earthquake, but it quickly passed. Jack just looked over at Mac and dryly replied, "You were saying?"

MacGyver fidgeted uneasily, but stubbornly insisted, "It's only been a couple of days."

Was that all? It felt much longer than that. Jack was tired, sore, and way past the point of just wanting it all to end. The fire was close enough now that they could see the flames through the smoke. "Even if we started walking in opposite directions we would never breach the area of effect in time. And what would happen then?"

Mac was quiet for a second, and then pensively, he asked, "You think Gent's vision will come true?"

"Maybe not the way he intended, but ya, I do," Jack remarked, momentarily subdued by the idea that he could be responsible for the destruction of his entire planet. Would they even have time to warn the SGC, to activate the Alpha list and preserve Earth's way of life before it was destroyed? All the anger he'd ever felt about what had been done to them rose to the surface. "Our luck has been nothing but a curse! We should never have let it get this far."

"We can't just stop existing because things get a little crazy. I don't know about you, but a lot of good has come from our strange luck, too. I'd have lost a lot of people close to me if chance hadn't been working in my favor."

Jack knew it was the same for him, but there were just some things he could never forget. "I _did_ loose someone close to me."

"You know that was an accident-"

Angrily cutting him off, Jack insisted, "It _wasn't!_ The one and only time I've ever _not_ locked the gun in the lockbox is the _one time_ Charlie finds it and manages to…" He stopped, his voice catching in his throat before he continued quietly, "It's a curse Mac. You never even knew you _had_ a son till he was eighteen!"

"But I might _never_ have known him if we hadn't run into each other."

"Or you might have known him from the beginning! And I…I might not have lost Charlie. And not just him, Mac, I've lost a lot of friends to this curse. I don't want to lose any more."

For a while they just sat in silence. The fire was drawing much closer now. The heat of the flames evaporating the sweat from their bodies as quickly as it was generated. If they were going to make a run for it, they had to do it now, but neither of them moved.

The flames fanned out around them, following the edges of the small valley until the two men were completely enclosed in a circle of fire. At the same time, it never once came close enough to do any more than lightly burn their skin. Apparently it wasn't going to kill them after all.

Jack sighed. He'd been kind of hoping maybe it would. Then Mac, sounding rather thoughtful, even for him, remarked, "I don't know everything you've been doing in the galaxy these days, but I seem to recall a couple of rather large explosions in the sky a few years back. News said it was a couple of meteorites that burnt up in the atmosphere, but I know that's not what they were, and with what I know now, I believe they must have been alien ships that blew up, probably right before they were about to attack our native little planet of ours. There's no doubt in my mind that you and your team must have had something to do with it."

Turning to look at the man, Jack found MacGyver grinning. "Tell me, Jack," Mac confidently asked, "Just how many times _have_ you save Earth?"

The Colonel glowered at the man. The response must have been enough of an answer for MacGyver because his smile broadened. Picking up a stone, Jack tossed it with annoyance into the surrounding circle of flames. The motion pulled at his injured side, but right at the moment the pain felt like a nice complement to his mood. "I hate it when you do that!"

"When I do what?" Mac asked, feigning ignorance.

Giving the man a scathing glare, Jack grudgingly replied, "When you make things seem so positive!"

Another minute went by as they watched and listened to the fire crackling around them. Bemused, MacGyver asked, "Does this remind you of anything?"

"Ya. It reminds me of my house burning down," Jack growled out.

Nodding, MacGyver added, "Back then the fire had spread all around us, even along the ceiling." He leaned back and stretched his legs out, acting as if they were doing nothing more life threatening than watching a sun set. "I remember I was so sure we were going to die, but at the same time I couldn't help but be mesmerized by the way the flames moved, as if with a life of their own."

Jack was mesmerized, too, watching now the flickers of red that reached ever higher and higher into the sky. "You wouldn't be so fascinated if it'd been _your_ house that you'd set on fire."

Looking pained, Mac once again apologized, "I'm sorry Jack. You know I didn't mean to, and by that point it was practically inevitable."

"I lost-" Jack began, but abruptly stopped as Mac suddenly let out a startled squeak as all at once the ground beneath him crumbled away. Jack instinctively reached for MacGyver's hand, but he was a second too late as Mac disappeared down into the depths of the Earth.

"Mac!" There was answering cry of pain, and as Jack peered down into the darkness he could see some movement in the shadows. The smoke from the fire was dimming the sun, blocking out any usable light, but Jack didn't think Mac had fallen too far, maybe about twenty feet. "Mac!"

"Jack…don't…" MacGyver's response sounded strangled, accented by several sharp grunts of pain, but at least he was responding.

Moving as little as possible for fear more of the ground would give way, Jack carefully felt around the edges of the hole. It seemed firm, except of course where Mac had been sitting only moments before. "Don't move, Mac. I'm coming down."

He wished he had a rope, but he didn't know what he would have tied it to if he did. The only thing in their circle that wasn't consumed by the fire was a squat little cactus, and cacti with their shallow roots made horrible anchors. Looked like he'd have to do this the hard way.

Grimacing heavily, Jack lowered himself down into the hole till he was only dangling by his right arm. Peering down and hoping he wouldn't land on Mac, Jack finally let go. His feet sharply hit the uneven ground and Jack fell back hard.

"Jack?" MacGyver's voice called out to him. It sounded strained, but it was close enough to easily find the man in the dark.

"Hold on," Jack grumbled, getting a handle on his own breathing before he dared to move. His side hadn't appreciated the fall in the slightest and was vehemently complaining.

MacGyver hoarsely chuckled. "Hold on to what?"

Worried, Jack wasn't sure what to make of Mac's comment, but as the Colonel's searching hands soon found cloth and skin, he suddenly realized what was wrong. MacGyver was impaled on a stalagmite, through his left side, in the same spot where Jack's current injury resided. From the feel of it, it was an amazingly long and thin piece of rock, like a petrified icicle, but the base was still thick enough to suspend Mac's torso a good six inches off the ground.

Sitting back, Jack found he couldn't feel too upset about this turn of events. He knew Mac would be fine; they just had to figure out the best way of getting him off this particular hurdle. "I was wondering when something like this was going to happen," Jack huffed out.

"Wondering!" Mac exclaimed.

"I have been shot _three times_ now."

"Couldn't…for once…our scars…_not_ match up?" Mac whined between breaths.

"Ha! Who's cursing our curse now?!"

It didn't take long for Jack to realize it would be impossible to just lift MacGyver off the stone spear; they'd have to detach it from the ground first. Jack felt around for two rocks he could use, one to act as the chisel and the other as the hammer. His hands found two exactly like he was thinking of, almost as if they were drawn to him.

"Sorry, Mac, but this is going to hurt. Ready?"

"No."

Grimly, Jack smirked. It wasn't as if there was anything Mac could really do to prepare himself anyway. "Okay then, here we go." He positioned himself and the rocks in as strategic a spot as possible. Then pulling back the hand with the hammer rock, Jack swung it around as hard as he could, striking the chisel rock. With a loud crack, and a cry from Mac, the stalagmite broke away from the ground.

"Here," Jack said, reaching out to where he could hear Mac. Now they just needed to pull the spear like rock from MacGyver's side. Their luck would take care of the rest, just as it had for Jack each time he'd been shot.

"No! Don't touch it!"

"Stop being such a baby."

"I just don't think it's a good idea to- AHHHH!!!"

Jack had easily found MacGyver, even in the dark. Planting a foot against Mac's back and taking a firm grip on the protruding rock with both hands, Jack had forcibly yanked it from the man.

Tossing the rock away and wiping his bloody palms on his seemingly consistently dirty pants, Jack once again reached out to find Mac. His skin was cold to the touch, and he was audibly shaking, Jack could hear the clattering of Mac's teeth.

"Mac?"

The man didn't reply, so Jack lay down next to him to share some of his body heat. After a bit, the shaking stopped and Jack wondered for a moment if MacGyver had passed out from the shock, but not much later, Mac shifted away from Jack and started moving around.

"I'm okay now. The worst of it seems to be over," Mac's voice said from a couple feet away. "The bleeding's stopped, anyway."

Jack grinned. "Welcome back!"

"Ya. Think we'll be able to climb out?"

Looking up to the where the hole was, Jack was a little surprised to see a small circle of red. The flames at last had consumed the last remaining area of land above them. "Not that way."

There was a pause and then MacGyver commented, somewhat worried, "That fire's going to burn away all our oxygen if we don't find another way out."

Once again Jack wished he had some rope, this time so they could explore without the risk of losing each other, but then he felt a slight brush against his cheek and he suddenly had an idea. "Mac, there's a small breeze over here. I think the fire's pulling it from another end."

"Fire over the head of an opening acts like a vacuum. There's no guarantee that it'll be a clear passageway."

"I know that!" Jack testily exclaimed. "But what are the chances that the other end is our way out?"

The Colonel could practically hear the other man grinning. "Almost perfect!"

As soon as the General had dismissed them they'd gone straight to Sam's office. General Hammond had wasted no time in activating the Alpha list so Janet wouldn't be able to help them, but the doctor had handed off the Colonel and MacGyver's files to Sam with a look that easily translated into, 'tell me what happens or _else!_'

Daniel had pushed Sam's stuff to one end of the table in the center of the room and settled down with his notes from both the metal sheets found in Nathan Redfield's office, and the rubbings of the device on P5X-239.

"So is someone going to finally explain to me just what it is we're doing?" Sam's father testily questioned as he and Teal'c carried in a television set.

"We are searching for O'Neill," Teal'c calmly responded.

"So you keep telling me. Sam?"

Sam always hated when he said her name like that, it made her feel like she'd done something wrong. Well, perhaps this time she had. She was likely to face court martial for withholding information when this was all over, but they still needed to find the Colonel, stop Akh from contacting Sedet, and save the planet. As the Colonel would say, 'piece of cake!'

Fidgeting in her seat, Sam ignored her father. She was currently hacking into every government database she could think of in the hopes of finding something, _anything_, on Ralph Gents. And given that she didn't want to get caught, it was a somewhat sensitive task that needed her full attention.

"Sammy?" her father asked again.

"Hold on," Sam quickly replied with irritation. It was a moment before she realized she'd just snapped at her father. A person wasn't rude to a General without repercussions, and a quick glance revealed a darkening expression on her father's face. Internally, she cringed. What would be worse, the lecture from her father, or the court martial? Somehow she felt she'd prefer the court martial, but that, too, would have to be dealt with later.

At last she found something, and downloading what she needed, Sam quickly logged out. Turning around in her chair she finally answered, "There's something going on with the Colonel that somehow seems to bend…" She struggled for an appropriate word, and finding none, settled on, "reality."

Predictably, her father scoffed at the very notion. "_Jack_, bend reality?"

"It's not that exactly. Things just seem to…_happen_, whenever they're around each other."

"They? Who's they?" Her father demanded.

Sam bit her lip, unsure how to answer that, but thankfully Daniel spoke up in her place.

"_They_, are Jack and MacGyver."

"MacGyver, uh?" Her father mused. He turned to Sam, "Wasn't he your idol at the Academy?"

Sam's cheeks colored and she watched her father's lips curl up with amusement. Curiously, Daniel asked him, "Did you ever get a chance to meet him?"

"No. I wasn't involved in any of the joint projects between the Air Force and the Phoenix Foundation, but I've heard a lot of good things about him." Again he smirked at Sam. She had to force herself to remain calm and relax but it wasn't easy. Mixed thoughts of both MacGyver and the Colonel kept rising in her somewhat still exhausted mind. Unbidden, her cheeks colored again.

"Well, you might not know this, but Mac and Jack are identical."

"Twins?" Her father asked with surprise.

He got three different answers. "Yes," "Sort of," and "Not exactly."

"Well which is it?"

_This_ was the Colonel's secret. _This_ was what he didn't want anyone to know. "They were part of an experiment," Sam finally told him. "One that altered their genetics so that they were identical."

"Why? Identical twins are born all the time."

"This is more _exact_ than that." Sam searched for the words to explain something she herself was still trying to fully understand. "Dad, do you know of any technology that could alter the position of subatomic particles in atoms?"

His head drooped ever so slightly, and with glowing eyes, Selmak emerged. "We have many technologies that utilize atomic energy."

"What about something that didn't change the _state_ of the atom, but instead just…" Again she struggled for the right words, "_moved_ things around?"

Selmak frowned. "I have not heard of such technology, nor would I know its purpose." Then the head dipped again and her father came back to the forefront. "Are you telling me that Jack's _atoms_ have been altered?"

"It's just a hunch," Sam admitted with a helpless shrug.

"In their current state, things are not as they should be within their vicinity," Teal'c stated from his corner where he'd plugged the TV in and was currently flipping through news stations.

"The only thing we know is that the experiment was run by a man named Ralph Gents. The NSA has a file on him, and it's rather dark."

Her father walked over to her, his brow creasing in disconcertment. "What does it say?"

Sam quickly scanned the information on the screen, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up on end as she read about horror after twisted horror. "Most of Gents' files were destroyed in the explosion at FamilyView, but the NSA suspected Gents involvement in the mutation of over forty kids." Sam shuddered.

"Just when you think all the bad guys are out there," her father murmured low enough that only Sam heard.

"Were any of them identical like Jack and Mac?" Daniel questioned.

"No," Sam told him, reading more of the details. "Most died at birth with massive deformities. It doesn't look like they know about the Colonel or MacGyver." Then Sam read something that practically froze her blood.

Her father must have noticed because he put a hand on her shoulder and gently questioned, "Sam?"

"They found one of Gents' journals among the wreckage still intact. In it he describes the progress of his most successful test subjects and his hopes that they'll fulfill his goal. To prove his theory on Equal Matter Displacement."

She spun around in her chair, still shaking from the shock that someone would even want to do something like that. From the questioning expressions on everyone else faces they obviously didn't understand the full implications of what Gents was trying to do. "Remember when my other…me, came through the quantum mirror? Because I still existed here, she began to suffer from a temporal distortion. We both couldn't exist in the same reality. It's a common theory that two of the same person, like yourself from another reality or let's say from the future, can't occupy the same space. We now know this to be true, at least to a degree. There were still differences between me and the other me, but imagine what might have happened if we'd been _exactly_ the same."

"What?" Daniel asked, his face pinched in confusion.

Sam sighed with exasperation. "Most believe if you come in contact with your future self that you'd both just cease to exist, but some believe, like Gents, that that sudden change would cause a cataclysmic reaction that could destroy the Earth."

"_That's_ what he was trying to do?! But we've seen Jack and Mac touch each other!" Uncertainty filled Daniel's eyes. "Haven't we?"

"Indeed we have," Teal'c responded, putting several of Sam's own fears to rest.

"So it didn't work. Gents' failed," Daniel said with audible relief.

Sam shook her head. "Not completely. Things _are_ being affected. We saw it with the blood samples, and it's likely the longer they're around each other, the worse it's going to get."

"Hold up kids," her father interrupted with raised hands. "If you say something's happening, I don't doubt it," he stated, looking directly at Sam. "But, we didn't even have color television around the time Jack would have been born. Don't you think this sounds just a little…fantastic?"

Sam had to admit that she did, but apparently Daniel didn't. "Not if Gents had help."

"What do you mean?"

"The writing on the device from the ship talks about a wide variety of technology that the Hereta left behind. And in Akh's last orders he commanded his servants to recover it from Ra. Ra didn't just betray the Hereta by denying them new hosts, he found the location of their ship and set guards around it to prevent anyone from waking them up."

"The natives of P5X-239," Teal'c stated.

Daniel nodded, continuing, "Yes, exactly. But there was a lot more on that ship that just the Hereta."

Sam furled her eyebrows in thought. "If Ra scavenged the ship, why would he leave his Key there?"

"He would have known it would be useless without the other two and the help of the Hereta," Teal'c sagely replied.

"And only Ra knew the location of the ship," Sam agreed, nodding her head with understanding as the pieces fell into place. "So Ra probably took some of the old technology to try and figure it out himself."

With an impatient wave of his hand, her father interrupted, "Even if Ra took the Hereta's technology, there's no guarantee he brought it here, to Earth."

"Well," Daniel replied, glancing down at his notes, "According to what Akh wrote, at that time Earth was the only human inhabited planet they knew of. The System Lords didn't exist, _jaffa_, didn't exist. And that's not all. The device from the ship also talks about three gifts from the Hereta, the gift of power, the gift of shadows, and the gift of control."

"It was rumored that Ra possessed a weapon of immense power," Teal'c informed them.

"And Akh has the gift of control," Sam added, thinking back on the behavior of the men they'd arrested in Portland. At first she'd thought they'd just been fooled because Akh was in Nathan Redfield's body, but the more she thought about it, the more she felt they had actually been brainwashed somehow. It would certainly explain why the guards hadn't reacted when Akh had brought her into the Hert Flowers office building. "It's his pendent. It must somehow influence people's minds."

"Like nish'ta?" her father questioned.

"I don't think so. I don't remember seeing any gas or drug. The pendent just glowed a lot. Plus it could generate an energy shield that protected Akh, one that he could use and control to catch our bullets and return fire with them."

Her father looked at her startled. "I don't know of any goa'uld technology that can do that."

"Well that covers the gift of power and control," Daniel commented grimly. "That just leaves the gift of shadows in the hands of Sedet."

"Cloaking technology perhaps?"

Sam turned back to her screen as she listened to them discuss the possibilities. If Gents had had a piece of the Hereta technology then there was sure to be a record of it somewhere. The NSA were fantastic at keeping track of even the smallest details, including the auction of Gents personal items after his death, but it was all just item numbers and names. Then one name practically jumped off the screen.

"I think I found something," Sam told her companions even as she began searching for more information. "Gents had an extensive personal collection of antiques that was sold off after he died. One of the pieces was sold to John Redfield."

"Who?" Her father questioned.

Realizing her father would know nothing of the Redfields, Sam simply explained, "The Redfields are the descendants of Akh's original servants." At last she found what she needed and was startled to find that the item was being housed in a warehouse here in Colorado Springs. Soon after, she located a detailed catalog of the warehouse's inventory, including pictures.

"That would be the Hereta device," Selmak commented over Sam's shoulder.

Sam looked up, startled to hear the Tok'ra's voice instead of her father's. "Do you recognize it?" It was a strange ball shaped device with symbols embossed on the outside.

"No." Selmak pointed to a piece of the object, saying, "But that is azerat crystal."

"It's not far, I can send someone to pick it up," Sam immediately stated.

"Will we be able to figure it out?" Daniel worriedly asked.

But Sam wasn't ready to just give up on the Colonel or MacGyver. "We have to try something."

"We still have to find them," her father reminded her.

Turning to where Teal'c was monitoring the news stations, Sam questioned, "Teal'c?"

"There have been many instances of odd behavior in many cities."

They all looked at the television screen to see a report of a peculiar car accident. When it switched to a view of the vehicle everyone's head tilted, even Teal'c's. The car had driven off the elevated ramp of a freeway and landed on a lamppost. The damaged lamppost had speared its way through the vehicle but the car was still suspended high above the ground at a crazy angle. The announcer reported that as yet, no one inside the vehicle had been injured, and on screen they could see little hands waving from the windows to the growing crowd on the ground.

Teal'c continued to change channels, reporting as he did, "In Albuquerque of New Mexico, all the surrounding bridges have collapsed for no discernable reason. In Phoenix of Arizona, the same individual has won several sizable amounts of currency. Las Vegas, of Nevada, no longer has power but for a pyramid, possibly of goa'uld design."

Sam grinned. "That's just the Luxor, Teal'c," she told him, but the jaffa remained suspicious.

"And this is all caused by Jack?" her father questioned, still sounding uncertain.

Sam nodded, telling him, "The area of effect is a lot larger than I thought it would be, it might not be so easy to find them after all."

They pulled out a map of the States and began marking all the strange occurrences every news station reported. Things were even happening around the mountain as the Colorado Springs news crews reported several alligator sightings in the city. Sam was sure at the center of the peculiar events they would find MacGyver and the Colonel but it was near impossible to identify just where that center would be, outside of a large general area.

"Sam?" Daniel said, getting everyone's attention. He had the television to yet another channel. "Remember in Portland when you told Major Wilder to find out what places still had power?"

"Yes. And we discovered that MacGyver and the Colonel had been at the airport during the quake."

"Well according to this, the epicenter _also_ was at that airport."

"Of course!" Sam exclaimed, feeling her hopes rise again. "Teal'c have there been any other earthquakes since?"

"Possibly one," the jaffa answered. "In Arizona."

"Then all we need is another earthquake and we can pinpoint _exactly_ where they are."

No sooner had she said the words than the mountain began to shake. The group grabbed onto whatever counter space they could to keep their balance. The earthquake lasted several minutes, but did little more than knock a few items over.

When things stilled again, Daniel commented with a slightly shaking voice, "Well, that was just a bit…weird?"

Sam had to agree. Had the earthquake happened because of what she'd said? The thought was a little staggering to contemplate. But if she was right, it'd give them exactly what they needed.

A quick trip to the Control Room and a couple phone calls later confirmed her suspicion. Five states had felt the quake, which they were saying had originated in Arizona and set off a chain reaction along two other fault lines.

While they now knew the location of the Colonel and MacGyver, Sam realized the affects of their proximity was growing quicker than she first realized. Even once they found them, would they be able to help them?


	22. pilot extraordinaire

Author's Note: Oh my goodness, it's been so long since I posted the last chapter! O.O I have an excuse…thinks…and it's a good excuse, too…thinks some more Aww man, I can't mess with reality, although there are times I really wish I could. I just got back online this last week from a month of being completely without. weeps I'm still recovering, but here it is, the next chapter. I'm not totally satisfied with it, and the second scene had just way too many people to keep track of, but enough with the waiting, I can always rewrite it later, right? One day yet I'll finish this story:)

Author's Note2: A huge thanks to my betas, Dimac and SealRescuer, who've been so patient with me. And a big huzzah to my reviewers! Over 200! I've never written a fanfic with that many reviews before, that's just really cool. I hope you can all hang in there as I worm my way through RL to find the time to finish this beaut. Unfortunately, the next chapter won't be out for a couple weeks cause one of my betas is traveling a lot this month, including a trip jealous to Vancouver jealous for Gatecon! very jealous But I wish her a good time full of no sleep and much fun!

Author's Note3: Oh! Jack Dalton guest stars in this chapter. I wasn't going to write him in for fear it would get too confusing, but it just wouldn't be a MacGyver crossover without him, eh? ;)

Author's Note4: Katchi's finally out of the box! And he's very much happy for it, although he has a kink in his neck now. whoops

Author's Note5: I reedited this chapter and reposted. Took care of the whole eye twitching issue and few other minor things. . Whee!

* * *

When MacGyver was sure the planet wasn't actually going to chew him up and eat him for dinner, he pushed at the rocks that had been so intent on burying him alive. He wasn't entirely confident that wasn't the case already, but the genius liked to think on the positive side.

"Jack?"

"Still ticking," Jack's voice grudgingly replied from out of the blackness. "I guess this is what we get for spelunking without flashlights."

Grinning, Mac told him, "I'll remember that for next time."

"There isn't going to _be_ a next time!" Jack immediately exclaimed. "Promise me, there _won't_ be any next time."

MacGyver wished he could, but he'd stopped making promises like that a long time ago. "Where are you?"

With a few echoing grunts the two men located each other. "So, which way were we going?" Mac asked with a frown of uncertainty. He tried to look around for a clue, but the earthquake had messed up whatever sense of direction the pitch black hadn't.

"That way," Jack confidently stated. Mac assumed Jack was pointing, but even at less than a foot away it was impossible to see anything.

"Uh uh."

"Oh, come on." Jack grabbed his arm and tugged him in the chosen direction. For a moment Mac actually wondered if Jack _could_ see…but then, why couldn't he? Then Mac realized Jack's keen sense of direction or even just his ability to move about in the darkness had nothing to do with any visual acuity. Mac wasn't even sure it had anything to do with their peculiar luck.

They moved slowly, and not just because they were walking blind over uneven ground. Every step up or over a rock pulled at Mac's side, threatening to reopen his wound. For a while Mac was afraid it had actually started bleeding again, but every time he checked his side he found the wound was still closed, as if invisible stitches were holding it together. The strain still severely taxed his energy reserves, and, as Mac listened to the both of them breathing, he knew Jack was having the same problem.

"Hey, let's stop for a bit," Mac finally suggested, concern coloring his voice. It wouldn't be good if they both passed out before they even reached the surface.

Another quake shook the earth, but unlike the last one where Mac felt like a bean inside a maraca, this one rolled like a wave, gently rocking the earth to sleep.

"Sure," Jack tiredly responded as soon as the quake passed. "Why not, it's not like we've got anywhere to be right now."

Mac couldn't quite figure out if Jack was being sarcastic or not. Feeling the need to add a bit of hope to their lightless situation, he cheerfully stated, "We'll find the surface, we just need to-" but he stopped short as a peculiar scent struck his nose. "Jack? Do you smell that?"

"Ya, smells like smoke. Guess the fire's been following along above us."

By mutual agreement their break was over. The smoke only got thicker as they went, but a small point of light appeared ahead of them and Mac headed for it like a moth to a flame. Upon later reflection, that hadn't been so inaccurate an analogy.

The speck of light increased, but so did the smoke, causing their eyes to tear up, making it near impossible to see anything anyway. Then all at once Mac wasn't gripping rocks, but a handful of roots.

Dirt fell about them, and the handhold Mac had slipped as the roots gave way. In the next instant a cloud of smoke surrounded them, and the two men pushed their way through it to find the surface. Coughing, Mac climbed out of the uneven hole. Instinctively he turned, unable to see, but reached with a sure grip to help Jack out. Together the two men looked at the surrounding inferno, the sharp crackle of burning wood filling their ears.

MacGyver could see Jack was trying to say something to him, but he couldn't make out what it was. After the silence of being underground for so long, the roar of the fire was deafening. He looked around for a possible path to follow but everything except the ground they stood on was aflame. And it wasn't long before that, too, would change. He could already feel the heat burning at his clothes.

Then he saw Jack pointing skyward, and looking up Mac was surprised to see a plane burst through the smoke. The doors on its belly opened and gallons of orange fire retardant were dumped out on the protesting fire, plus the two wayward travelers.

It wasn't quite the same as being rained on. Certainly not an experience he'd like to go through again, especially considering they now looked like human peaches, or in Jack's case, a very _angry_ human peach. Blinking back tears and spitting the hideous tasting chemical from his mouth, Mac grabbed Jack's hand and they followed after the plane where the trail of orange had forced the fire to retreat.

Several helicopters followed, carrying loads of water, but they had to be more precise in dropping their loads and from a slightly higher elevation to keep the smoke from clogging their exhaust. While Mac would have been grateful for the shower, he was just as glad none of the water loads were near enough to hit them. The weight of that much water from that height could be rather painful.

They saw the plane again as it made another pass, tackling a rather high patch of fire. Mac and Jack had climbed away from the main body of the fire, taking the opportunity to escapes death's clutches yet again, when they saw one of the plane's engines catch fire. It buzzed past them and over the edge of the hill, clipping burnt trees as it crashed.

Mac immediately headed towards the downed plane. If there was even the smallest chance the pilot had survived they needed to find out. Jack must have had similar thoughts because he moved ahead of Mac, reaching the smoldering plane before him.

The Colonel climbed over the barricading logs and yanked open the cockpit door just as someone came stumbling from the plane, coughing deeply as a billow of smoke followed the man out.

"Hey, you okay?" Jack demanded, grabbing the guy's arm to steady him.

There was too much smoke to see the man's face clearly, but a perfectly recognizable voice choked out in surprise, "Mac? What are you doing here?"

A grin blossomed on MacGyver's face. "Jack?"

"What?" Both men answered but with two completely different tone of voices.

Mac happily clasped his longest standing friend, Jack Dalton, on the arm. "Jack! What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like? They needed help, I'm helping out," Dalton replied, and then with a look at the crashed plane amended, "Well I was. Ah, but you know what they say, any landing you can walk away from…"

"Is a good one," Mac finished, having said that far too many times in his past for comfort.

Then Dalton looked at him, and then at Jack, and after a moment remarked, "Man. I must really have hit my head hard, Mac. There're two of you and you both look like something that was growing in my fridge."

Jack scowled at the man, but Mac laughed. When Dalton looked at him in confusion Mac took pity upon his friend, and replied, "You're okay, Jack. I want you to meet my brother, Jack O'Neill."

"Hey, nice to meet…your _brother!_ Mac, you don't _have_ a brother, and I should know, I grew up with you!"

"Well that explains a lot," Jack remarked.

Mac gave the Colonel a good natured glare then said to Dalton, "It's complicated."

Dalton agreed. "With you, _everything's_ complicated. But what are you doing out here? I didn't see your name on the volunteer list, not to mention you sure don't look like firemen at the moment."

Mac hesitated. If he said they had crashed a plane and fallen into a cave network that opened up a couple miles away from here, he wasn't sure even Dalton would believe him. Then with a sarcastic smirk Jack replied, "We were hiking."

"Whatever you say, Mac."

"Jack."

"What?" "No." Jack glowered at the man. "_I'm_ Jack, _he's_ Mac."

"Okay okay, don't get your pants into knots," Dalton defensively exclaimed.

"Ah, Jack?" Mac slid an arm around Dalton's shoulders and pulled him away from the Colonel. "You don't by chance know which way the nearest people would be, do you?"

"Oh sure. There's a staging area for the firemen not far from here, and with my baby down I'll have to head there myself. It was the weirdest thing, Mac," Dalton commented as they began walking. "Everything was going fine until suddenly it was like someone flipped a switch and the power just shut off. Just like that! Next thing I know I'm going down. Too bad I didn't know you were around or I'd have asked you to be my copilot."

MacGyver didn't think he'd have been much help, at least, not _this_ time round.

* * *

Teal'c sat strapped into the back seat of one of Earth's fighter helicopters. It still amazed the jaffa that the machines could even fly. Unlike a deathglider, or other fighter aircraft, they did not seem to need to stay in motion to remain aloft, and, so he was told, they did not possess gravity inhibitors as one might expect. He shifted to relieve some of his worry then put his mind to other matters.

SG4 had accompanied them to the warehouse where they had discovered a deceased member of the Redfield family. MajorCarter had worried that Akh might have gotten to the device first, but Teal'c knew at once that the body must have been there for some time, and told her so. He suspected the warehouse was the same one previously mentioned by O'Neill and that the trail of blood leading away from the body was his.

It didn't take them long to locate the Hereta device. It had been left undisturbed and forgotten inside its packing crate, a fact that only confirmed the jaffa's belief that the goa'uld had not been involved in the events that must have transpired there.

Automatically, Teal'c checked his pocket where the Hereta device now resided. It was much smaller than he had expected, it hardly seemed like an item that could alter the very being of a person, but he trusted MajorCarter's assessment that it could.

They were currently flying towards the origin of the last Earthquake in the hopes of locating ColonelO'Neill and MacGyver. JacobCarter accompanied them, having determined 'He wouldn't miss it for the world,' while SG4 followed in another helicopter close behind.

Looking out the window, Teal'c could see a growing smudge of black on the horizon. As unreasonable as it might be on Earth, his eyes automatically scanned the skies looking for any attacking ships that might cause such smoke, but while he spotted a distant blur, he knew it wasn't of goa'uld origins.

Within the pouch all jaffa contain, Teal'c's symbiote suddenly began to move around in agitation and the hairs on the back of the jaffa's neck stood up with unexplainable alarm. "MajorCarter," Teal'c called over the headset, "I believe it would be wise for us to land."

She looked at him with a questioning expression, but after a moment leaned forward and ordered the pilot, "Land in the first available clearing you can find. And tell the other pilot to do the same."

The pilot looked startled by the order, but with one look at her perfectly serious expression quickly complied. "Yes, ma'am."

Teal'c was unsure what had caused his instincts to respond with warning, but the first place they found to set down was swarming with firefighters, and even before they set down Teal'c was sure he'd spotted O'Neill among them. MajorCarter must have as well because they had barely touched the ground before she threw the door open and jumped out.

"What the hell! You can't land here!" A man yelled, racing up as close as was safely possible.

Teal'c prepared to put himself between MajorCarter and the irate fireman, but JacobCarter filled that spot before he had the chance. "This is a matter of national security."

"Do you think I care? We're trying to stop a forest fire from getting out of control! We need these spots to refuel the 'copters! So get yours out of here!"

Following the direction the fireman was pointing, Teal'c spotted the blurred aircraft he'd seen from the window. There were three others with it, one heading towards them, while the other three seemed to be dropping. He looked down to see the glimmer of water contained in a cement lake. The helicopters, much smaller than their own, were dropping containers that dangled from their bellies into that water and lifting off again, water dripping in their wake as they turned back towards the clouds of black smoke.

But instead of moving their aircraft, the second helicopter containing SG4 landed in the neighboring field. The fireman opened his mouth to begin again, but MajorCarter suddenly pushed past him, while JacobCarter, following his daughter with his eyes, quickly told him, "Ten minutes, just give us ten minutes!" Then, he, too, left, leaving the fireman fuming on the spot. Teal'c politely nodded to the fireman and then followed after MajorCarter as well.

Behind him he could hear the fireman turn his anger on the pilot. "You _can't_ stay here. Move your helicopter now!"

"Sorry, sir, can't do it without orders."

Teal'c quickly turned his attention to what had caught MajorCarter's attention. It was O'Neill, being tended by a medic while talking to a man the jaffa didn't recognize. "Sir!" MajorCarter called out as soon as they reached him. Her face broke out into a huge smile.

But it wasn't O'Neill. "Hey Sam. It's good to see you guys," MacGyver greeted with a tired grin. The medical technician finished wrapping MacGyver's injured torso and with a quick word moved on to his next patient. In the pavilion tent behind them, Teal'c could see several men sitting on portable beds, chairs, and whatever else was available, all with their right legs propped up or in casts.

MacGyver looked much worse than the men under the tent, but other than the injury to the torso, which Teal'c suspected would be much like O'Neill's, the man did not seem to have any other major injuries. The jaffa almost sighed with relief, but settled for a faint smile instead.

"Where's Colonel O'Neill? Is Nathan…?" MajorCarter immediately asked, her voice thick with worry.

"Nathan's dead," MacGyver answered first as he struggled to get a clean shirt on. It didn't do much to improve his appearance, especially since his skin and hair had taken on a strange orange hue. Teal'c's eyebrow rose of its own volition. Then MacGyver told them, "Jack's talking to the Chief."

"Holy Hannah," JacobCarter softly exclaimed, looking at MacGyver with wide eyes. "You're _really_ not Jack?"

MacGyver looked at MajorCarter with a questioning expression. "MacGyver, this is my father, General Jacob Carter," MajorCarter quickly answered, then giving her father a glare, stated, "I told you that they were identical."

"I know you told me, but it is a little…"

As JacobCarter paused to search for a word to explain the peculiar nature of the situation, MacGyver's companion filled in with an all too cheerful expression, "Unbelievable, unlikely, surreal, unexpected, _impossible?_ Believe me, Buddy, I know. And I grew up with this guy!"

"And you are?"

The man held out a soot-covered hand that JacobCarter was hesitant to shake. "Jack Dalton, entrepreneur adventurer, and pilot extraordinaire!"

With a smirk MacGyver added, "You forgot conniving manipulator."

"Mac," JackDalton complained, "I'm hurt that you would think of me that way!" But both men were grinning, which confused the jaffa. This was the JackDalton of which O'Neill had warned them against? From his appearance he seemed harmless, but Teal'c had learned long ago not to underestimate the peculiar eccentricities of the Tau'ri.

Just then SG4 caught up with them and MajorWilder immediately stated, "Colonel O'Neill. It's good see you're all right."

"Oh, ah…" Mac looked up at the man, blinking as if he were trying to think of an appropriate excuse, but in the end he simply settled on replying, "I'm not Jack."

"Is this a joke, sir?"

"No, I'm really not Jack. And I'm way too tired to joke."

Teal'c decided to help, adding his voice with some authority, "MacGyver is correct."

"That I'm too tired or that I'm not Jack?" MacGyver drowsily questioned

"Indeed."

Except for MajorWilder, whose face was scrunched up in concern, the rest of SG4 was standing with dropped jaws and shocked expressions on their faces. "Y-you're MacGyver?" LieutenantVonGnechten stammered out before his eyes took on an excited light Teal'c had come to recognize on most people meeting O'Neill's brother for the first time. "It's a real honor, sir. I've heard so many things…" He faded off as realization set in and LieutenantVonGnechten suddenly blurted out, "You look just like Colonel O'Neill!"

"We get that a lot," a new voice dryly remarked. They looked over to see O'Neill casually sauntering over to them. Unlike MacGyver, who'd apparently cleaned up a little bit, although it was hard to tell, O'Neill was still completely covered in dirt, soot, grime, and the same strange orange substance, but Teal'c could see no substantial new injuries and once again smiled briefly with relief.

SG4's jaws dropped for a second time. O'Neill grinned at them, then waving a hand towards the helicopters told them, "I thought I heard the sweet sound of home. I was trying to convince the Fire Chief to give us a lift outta here, but this is much better. Let's go."

"Sir," MajorWilder stopped O'Neill midstep. The Colonel reluctantly pivoted back towards them. "What about the…_snake_ problem?"

"That's been taken care of. Let's go," O'Neill told them, impatiently turning towards the helicopters again as he added, "before all of Arizona burns down to the ground."

"Sir," MajorCarter quickly called. O'Neill stopped, raising a hand, warning her to be quiet, but she just ignored him and continued, "I'm afraid it's not going to be that simple."

"Now, how did I _know_ you were going to say that!" the Colonel griped.

MacGyver frowned, but softly questioned, "Sedet?"

Carter nodded, and with a sigh that was almost a groan, O'Neill asked, "How long?"

"Best guess, early tomorrow," JacobCarter replied. "One of our guys spotted the ship-" He stopped short and everyone suddenly looked at JackDalton.

"What?" JackDalton innocently questioned, but Teal'c noticed that JackDalton's eyes had gained a unique gleam.

"Ah, Jack," MacGyver said to his friend, "Maybe you could go…see…" but O'Neill interrupted him.

"No. Dalton has to stay. We're going to need him."

JackDalton was as shocked as everyone else. Teal'c looked questioningly at O'Neill but said nothing. It was JackDalton who was the first to break the silence. "You need me?"

"Jack, are you sure?" MacGyver asked O'Neill with concern. The look the two brothers exchanged would suggest an entirely unspoken conversation was passing between them, although the jaffa was fairly positive neither man possessed any telepathic abilities. O'Neill just turned to LieutenantVonGnechten and ordered, "Give me your map, Lieutenant."

"Jack, what are you planning?" JacobCarter demanded.

JackDalton immediately protested, "I'm not planning anything!"

Giving the man a glare, O'Neill took LieutenantVonGnechten's map and spread it out on the ground in the center of the group. "Ready?" he asked MacGyver, who somberly nodded in return.

"Sir, what are you doing?" MajorCarter curiously questioned.

"Akh hid a ship way back when. We're going to find it!"

Teal'c watched as MacGyver and O'Neill closed their eyes and simultaneously pointed to the exact same spot on the map. Looking critically at the location, MacGyver commented, "That's not going to be easy to get to."

"Exactly." O'Neill looked up at SG4 and ordered, "Major Wilder, I want you and your team to get back to the SGC and make sure General Hammond activates the Alpha List. But first, get Dalton here to a plane. I don't care what it is, if it can fly, it'll work." Then he turned to JackDalton, pointing at the spot on the map and telling him, "In one hour I want you to fly to this spot, okay?"

"Sure Mac."

"Jack," O'Neill corrected.

"Yes?"

Taking a deep breath, O'Neill briefly closed his eyes and ground out, "I'd swear you do that on purpose."

"Jack," JacobCarter asked with a frown, "What are you planning?"

"We're going to go get the ship, then Mac and I are going to go meet Sedet, and Dalton here is going to come pick you up."

"We can come get anyone, sir," MajorWilder offered.

Simultaneously, JacobCarter pointed out, "We can just fly ourselves back, Jack."

And even Teal'c had felt the need to tell him, "You need not go alone, O'Neill."

O'Neill took in all three statements, blinked as he sorted out who said what, and with a pointed finger responded, "Major, we haven't rubbed off on you enough for you and your team to survive the trip." Then he pointed at Jacob. "And we'll be lucky to survive our _own_ trip there, let alone keep the helicopter in working condition." Then at last he looked at Teal'c, his eyes showing understanding, but his voice was still firm as he told the jaffa, "You're lucky I'm even letting you guys come with us to the ship."

"Jack," JacobCarter began, clearly objecting O'Neill assessment of the situation, but MacGyver spoke up, his soft voice easily stopping JacobCarter before he could say anything else.

"Jack and I are about to go nuclear. If it's going to happen lets see if we can do it on Sedet's turf instead of our own."

Only half the group understood the full impact of what MacGyver had just said, and it was enough to somber even Teal'c. Among the rest, JackDalton and SG4 exchanged confused looks. "Ship?" JackDalton inquired, the peculiar gleam once again returning to his eyes.

"Sir? How _are_ we going to unbury the ship once we get there?" MajorCarter asked, ignoring JackDalton but giving him a nervous glance.

As if in answer to her question, the ground began to shake as a violent earthquake knocked them all off their feet. The pavilion tent toppled over, along with any piece of equipment in the area. To make things worse, the fueling truck for the helicopter caught fire. It didn't explode like in the movies Teal'c generally enjoyed watching, but it did cause a lot of alarm, especially so close to the helicopters.

"Need I say more?" O'Neill grumbled as soon as the earthquake passed.

With a grimace, MacGyver got back to his feet. "We might want to think about leaving now, before anything else can go wrong."

With that, the fuel truck exploded, debris shooting out in all directions as it shattered the windows and pocketed both waiting helicopters with holes. MacGyver cringed, first from the explosion, then again as O'Neill hit the man on the arm, exclaiming, "What is _wrong_ with you!"

"I'm sorry, okay?"

"Come on. Let's go see if we can still get these birds in the air."

Thankfully they could, but not before a few rather peculiar improvisations were needed.


	23. Akh's ship

Author's note: Haylo everyone! I know it's been a long time, almost a year in fact (_slaps her own hand_ Bad Cairis!), but at long last, I have reentered the word of fanfic. The last year had been a real 'dark' time for me. To deal with it, I stepped away from pretty much everything and everyone, and I want to give as much a public apology as I can for going dark. Thank you so much to the reviewers who've left notes over the year in the hopes of me writing more, to the readers who have/might still read this monster of a fic and keep reading till I finally finish. And a most special thanks to all those who took the time to send me an email. I never responded, and I regret that deeply. To be honest, I just didn't know what to say.

I do now. "Thank you so much for your interest! Real life not withstanding, I'll have a new chapter up very soon! Your encouragement means so much to me, and I hope not to let you down."

Lastly, a huge thanks goes to my beta readers, SealRescuer, and Dimac, for their continued patience with keeping my writing in line.

Now on with the most long _overdue_ chapter.

* * *

Sam had never seen so much duct tape on any one object before in her life. While MacGyver had assured them the helicopter would hold together, the Major wasn't so confident. And she knew she wasn't the only one. The pilot's eyes were wide with panic, while his grip on the stick was so tight his fingers had gone white. 

"Where did you even _find_ duct tape?" Colonel O'Neill demanded of his semi-brother, yelling over the noise of the wind rushing through the pocketed helicopter.

"In the medical tent."

The Colonel glared at him hard, but MacGyver just shrugged his shoulders as if to say 'Well I did!'

They both looked tired, the way SG1 often did after a rather nasty mission. Only they weren't heading home, or even back to the SGC. Sam looked away in frustration. After the night she'd spent searching for them, Sam couldn't believe it was only to watch them leave again on what was most likely a suicide mission. It just wasn't right!

As if in response to her agitation, her arm began to throb, reminding her just how useless she was at the moment. But looking back at the two men she'd come to respect most, Sam knew even if she was in top form they still wouldn't risk her going with them.

Just what _would_ happen if they couldn't stop the effects their respective close proximities were causing? The situation was so peculiar it was hard for the scientist in her to keep from trying to reason it out. Maybe there was another explanation for what was happening? The number of strange events was occurring more often now, and by the time they had left the SGC it had already spread as far as the east coast. It all seemed to be happening faster than anyone could control, but could the mere presence of two exactly identical people really cause the cataclysmic event Gents predicted?

"Sir?"

"Carter?"

Sam hesitated, but when he gave her that look that practically screamed 'what!' she finally blurted out, "We brought it, sir. We brought the device."

Both MacGyver and the Colonel looked at her in confusion. "What device? The message thingy?" The Colonel asked, perplexed.

"No." Sam took a nervous breath. "The device that…changed…you." She suddenly realized that not only did the pilot not know anything about what was really going on, but neither the Colonel nor MacGyver knew just how much they'd uncovered about the twin's 'secret.'

As she expected, the Colonel's eyes narrowed in suspicion, but MacGyver looked at her with open curiosity and surprise. "There was a device?" Wordlessly, Teal'c handed over the small alien object they'd found in the Redfield's warehouse. He turned it over a few times, looking at it with some scrutiny before remarking, "It's made of the same stuff the Keys are. Guess that means it's from the same guys?" She nodded, and he looked down at the object again, a peculiar expression creasing his face. "Wonder how Gents got it to work?"

"You mean you don't know?" Again they looked at her in confusion.

Sam felt like an idiot. _Of course_ they wouldn't know how it worked. It would take her years to figure it out, and while MacGyver was a genius, this was alien technology made by an extremely advanced society. Once again the feelings of helplessness tried to overwhelm her, but they were quickly followed by another rush of stubborn anger. They should forget about Sedet and work on this instead. Maybe they'd get lucky and figure it out before the Colonel and MacGyver…

Her mind honestly didn't know how to finish that train of thought.

The Colonel rubbed at his face, softly groaning with frustration. "Carter. We were only _nine_ when Gents died. And even if he'd been using it back then, I highly doubt _we'd_ know what to do with it."

"We might," MacGyver contradicted. "If this was created by the Hereta, then the instruction manual is on the disks."

"Disks?" Sam's father inquired. Teal'c replied, "MacGyver is referring to the Keys."

"I thought only the Hereta could unlock them, and don't we need all of them?"

MacGyver shrugged. "We won't know until we try."

"Plus we have two of the three already," the Colonel added, suddenly thoughtful. "Right T?" The jaffa nodded, so Colonel O'Neill continued, "Getting the third one from Sedet will be easy, just another step on the yellow brick road!"

Considering the Colonel and his brother looked like they'd just come from a war zone (or a dump heap), Sam wondered how easy it would _really_ be, but a bit of hope sprang up inside her. Back on the ground, they'd implied their encounter with Sedet would be a one-way trip only. Perhaps they planned to come back after all, and if that was the case, then maybe she could convince them to let her go, too.

Encouraged by this thought, Sam pushed aside her weariness and steeled herself for whatever happenstance came next. This day wasn't over yet, and she was determined not to loose the Colonel and his brother again. Not if she had anything to say about the matter.

"Sir?" The pilot called back to them, "We're approaching the area you requested."

Sam looked out the side window, or where the window _would_ have been if the glass was still there. Below them the mountain range was coming to an end. Strips of rocky outcroppings formed sharp valleys and dangerous looking crevices while trees had begun to appear with greater frequency, like weeds growing up between cracks in the land.

"It's there," the Colonel stated with certainty, pointing down at the unfriendly landscape. "See if you can find a place to land."

"Here!" The pilot exclaimed, looking even more terrified than before. Sam felt a pang of sympathy for the man, and then decided to pity everyone, including herself. Between the trees and the sharp jagged mountain hills, there didn't seem to be a flat piece of land around for miles.

"There," MacGyver directed, pointing towards a ledge not much bigger than the helicopter itself.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!"

The Colonel scowled at the pilot in annoyance. "Oh, just give me the stick and _I'll_ land us."

The pilot instantly turned an ashen shade of grey. Sam opened her mouth to back the pilot up, but her father pushed his way up front and dryly remarked, "I thought you said we were going to crash. You're not trying to fulfill your own prophecy now, are you?"

"No," the Colonel disputed, "I said you won't be able to fly outta here. I never said anything about crashing."

Then MacGyver calmly added, "It's not really something we predict, but once-"

The Colonel cut him off, exclaiming with a smirk, "Watch, and be amazed!"

After an impatient gesture from the Colonel, the pilot reluctantly gave up control of the helicopter, breathing out, "This is insane," as he did. The Colonel just ignored him, maneuvering the helicopter around for another pass over their targeted ledge.

Everyone else, including MacGyver, quickly found something, _anything_, to hold on to, and in the tense seconds that followed, Sam wondered once again if duct tape could really hold a helicopter together.

But to everyone's surprise, and _immense_ relief, the Colonel set the helicopter down as softly as if he were landing on a cloud. As the pilot shut everything off with shaking hands, the Colonel smugly turned to them all, and stated, "See? Piece of cake! Come on kids, the wizard awaits!"

Much to her surprise, Sam discovered she had to pry her grip loose from the chair. But while the landing had gone without incident, getting down off the ledge to the valley below proved problematic.

The Major looked down at the trees whose tops were almost in reach, tantalizing her, and then looked are her bandaged arm. Janet had been rather adamant when instructing Sam not to use it, but she'd need to climb down _somehow_, and one handed climbing wasn't her specialty.

"I think I can help," MacGyver commented, having realized the dilemma, just as she had.

Embarrassed, Sam quickly refused, "Thanks, but-"

_But_, just like that, he'd assembled a harness and was already asking Teal'c if he wouldn't mind giving the Major a piggyback. Once the meaning of 'piggyback' had been clarified, Teal'c had been more than pleased to lend Sam his assistance.

Sam on the other hand was twice as embarrassed and almost as angry to have been reduced to an invalid when she was perfectly capable of climbing down herself, arm or no arm. To make it worse, when they reached the bottom, she got tangled in the ropes while trying to get the harness off, and wrenched her arm so bad she had to bite her tongue to keep from crying out loud.

"Sammy," her dad started, worry shining in his eyes, "maybe you should stay with the helicopter."

"I'm already _down_, Dad," Sam scathingly told him, silently cursing the offending arm. Everyone else had just slid down the cliff with the help of a single rope. Only the pilot had remained up top. "Besides," She continued, "when we find the ship you might need my help getting it started again." She didn't really believe that. Between Selmak's knowledge and MacGyver's genius, they probably wouldn't need her for anything, but Sam _refused_ to be left behind.

Stubbornly setting her jaw and giving her father a glare that dared him to challenge her, Sam stepped past him to follow after the Colonel and his brother.

Behind her, she heard her father sigh and make a comment to Teal'c too low for her to make out, but the jaffa's somber response was crystal clear, "MajorCarter _always_ listens." The proverbial 'but' was left unspoken.

Sam quickened her pace, following the twins as they moved purposely through the stingy forest. She really needed to get a hold of her emotions, but it wasn't easy, especially with so much at risk. Distracted, her foot caught on a rough stone and she tripped, a nearby tree catching her fall.

With a grunt of pain she pushed herself off the tree and continued down the path only to trip again. It was like she suddenly had absolutely zero coordination. Her third stumble sent her careening into another tree, only this time her injured arm took the full brunt of the impact. The Major couldn't quite hold back the small cry of pain that escaped her lips.

MacGyver immediately turned back to look at her with eyes full of worry. "Are you-?"

She didn't let him finish as she forcefully stated, "I'm fine!" and resolutely continued on past him. Ahead, the Colonel had stopped in a small clearing and was turning around in a slow circle with a peculiar look on his face.

Stepping up behind him and desperately hoping she wouldn't trip again, Sam hesitantly questioned, "Sir?"

"It should be here," he told her, again turning around as he examined the ground for any signs of the ship.

They all started searching the little clearing, but Sam didn't see a single lump to indicate something might be buried underneath. Her father crossed his arms, and with an almost expected expression, dryly questioned, "Well, Jack?"

"It should be here. Right here!" The Colonel exclaimed. Then looking around as if some otherworldly entity were present, he suggestively called out, "All we need is an earthquake." They waited in silence but nothing happened. The Colonel even jumped up and down as if he could get the earthquake started, but the ground remained stubbornly still.

"Jack," MacGyver slowly began, looking equally frustrated, but somewhat unsure, "Maybe it's not here?"

"O'Neill!" Teal'c suddenly called out in alarm. "Something approaches."

They all looked up the hill where the jaffa was pointing, but all Sam saw was the black smudge on the horizon from the distant fire. A flash of light cut through the dark sky and with a start, the Major suddenly realized it was much more than just smoke in the sky. She heard it a second later, the faint rumble of thunder, only it wasn't fading away, it was getting stronger.

"Everyone, grab onto something! _Tight!_" Both the Colonel and MacGyver simultaneously ordered.

Sam responded with all the instincts of a trained soldier, although it was a couple seconds before her tired mind reasoned why. The increasing rumble wasn't thunder at all. It was the sound of rushing water. The flash flood surged down the side of the mountain, building exponentially as it traveled across the impermeable ground, and pulling with it anything that wasn't tied down. Seconds later it caught up with them and Sam tightened her grip around the slim tree right as the six foot wall of muddy water hit, broken tree branches and other pieces of debris relentlessly pounding against her back and side.

The rest disappeared from sight as the water covered her head, but a second before it did, Sam thought she saw everyone else clinging to a tree just as she was. Then a large branch struck her in the shoulder blade and Sam jerked, pulled by the current. Her grip came loose and she felt the waters tugging at her, trying to pull her away. She automatically reached with her injured arm to secure her position, but it wasn't strong enough and all too soon she was caught in the tide of the flooding water.

It was impossible to control her decent down the craggy mountainside, and her movements felt sluggish as she tried to break free of the flood's grip, but she wasn't even sure what way was up anymore. Then she hit something so hard it jarred her whole body and Sam found herself choking on the muddy water.

_She wasn't going to die like this! _The thought raged through her mind even while her body panicked; gulping in more water instead of the air it sought for. She hit something else and pain laced up her leg, but whatever it was, it managed to snag her, holding her in place as the flood continued to rush around her. She was on the verge of passing out when the water finally receded, the numbing roar moving further and further away to leave her in a shocked silence.

Still fighting for breath, Sam began bringing up as much of the vile water her body could manage, choking down gasps of air between each heave until the there was nothing left for her stomach to reject. Rolling onto her side, she concentrated on relaxing, letting the air come naturally through her greatly abused lungs.

It was hard to say how much time passed, she didn't think she'd fallen asleep, but the world was a foggy daze until the Colonel's familiar features suddenly came into focus.

"Carter?" He hesitantly questioned and she felt him feel her neck for a pulse. His touch felt like fire against her cold skin, filling her with warmth, which for a brief moment felt like life itself.

Blinking up at him, Sam automatically replied, "I'm fine, sir," although her voice sounded thick and her tongue kept getting stuck in her mouth. Forcing sore limbs into motion, she struggled to sit up. Water gathered in puddles on the cleanly swept red brown ground. Except for the trees, the land looked desolate.

"Hold on, Sam. Your leg's stuck," her father warned, drawing her attention to where he stood by a knot of tree limbs that had managed to catch hold of her during the flash flood. He, along with Teal'c, were working at untangling the thick branches while MacGyver stood next to the Colonel, their faces awash with worry.

She could feel when her leg was released from its temporary prison, and carefully pulled it out, amazed to find she could still bend it. Unsurprisingly, her father was more than a little alarmed by her initiative, and giving her a stern look, ordered her to stay still till he could have a look at it. To her it seemed as if everyone wanted to 'have a look' and all she could think was to reassure them she was fine.

"You're probably in shock," MacGyver bluntly told her.

"It does hurt, but it's not bad," she told them again, and it wasn't, only a gash across her thigh that looked a little swollen, but it wasn't like it was bleeding profusely or anything. Other than a few tender spots where passing debris had bruised her, only her arm really hurt, and she wasn't about to tell _them_ that. It was still bandaged up pretty tight so it would be fine, she instantly reasoned to herself. The bindings were a faint brown now, but they all looked a little muddy. In the case of the twins, it could only be an improvement.

To prove that she was, in fact, still alive, and perfectly able to continue with them, she pushed them all away and got to her feet, only stumbling a little as cold muscles became reacquainted with the act of movement.

Looking for the entire world like both a disapproving General and an overprotective father, Jacob smartly stated, "You're lucky you're even alive! Do you know how rare it is for someone to survive a flash flood? I'm surprised we did, and we had something to hang on to. When I saw you-" His voice faltered as he swallowed down the rest of the sentence.

Feeling her own breath catch in her throat, Sam immediately stepped up to him and threw her arm around his neck, all notions of stubbornness giving way to her need to reassure him. "It's okay, Dad. I'm okay."

Then the Colonel turned on her, anger almost radiating off him in his concern. "I _knew_ this was a mistake. You should all go back _now!_ Get away from us as far and as fast as you can!"

Teal'c tried to console the man, saying somberly, "We would not leave you to fight this battle by yourselves."

"No, T! It's too dangerous. This proves it! You guys need to get out of here, now!"

Sam shook her head, telling the Colonel, "It's too late for that, sir. The effects have already spanned several states."

MacGyver looked at her in shock. "Really?"

"Yes. And besides, we can help."

"Carter," Colonel O'Neill growled out, "How does almost getting yourself _killed_ help?"

Part of her wondered that herself, but she ignored that part, knowing that she couldn't simply leave. Then MacGyver spoke up, his soft voice breaking the tension that was quickly building. "When it gets us where we needed to go? I think I found the ship."

Everyone turned to find him examining a large lump sticking out of the ground that had been washed clean by the flood. Teal'c walked completely around it, saying needlessly, "The ship appears to be buried to some depth."

"Ya think?" the Colonel groused, but immediately turned away from them. Sam knew her CO well enough to know he was still highly upset. MacGyver glanced at the Colonel, just as worried. Her still somewhat sluggish mind noted how strange it was that the brothers could be so equally concerned over the same thing, but deal with it so differently.

"We should probably get going," MacGyver stated.

Sam's father left one arm protectively around her as he turned to the Colonel's twin. "And just how do you propose we do that? I don't recall bringing any shovels, and that ship's not going to come out of the ground on its own."

As soon as he spoke the words, the ground began to tremble. Sam was still reeling from the last ordeal, so she did the only thing she could and clung to her father with an iron grip. It wasn't long before the ground gave way beneath their feet and everyone went tumbling head over heels.

It wasn't an earthquake as Sam first assumed, but a landslide, as the entire side of the mountain broke apart, spilling them out like sand through a funnel. Dirt completely surrounded them, making it impossible for Sam to tell which way was up or down, _again_. For a brief moment she wondered if the ground would literally swallow them whole, but then they hit something hard enough to end their decent. Rocks pounded against her back, the pain mixing with the cold chill in her limbs till it was all nothing more than a numb beating.

When the noise faded and Sam could hear the faint sound of people coughing, she finally dared to open her eyes. While it felt like they'd fallen miles, they hadn't really come down so far, but the ruin that lay before her was still a devastating sight. Out of that ruin, the rumble shifted and the Colonel rose unsteadily to his feet.

"Everyone alive?"

"Sammy?" her father questioned softly, and Sam suddenly realized she was still tightly clinging to him. She forced white knuckles to release their grip, and slowly sat up.

"I'm fine," she told him, even while her mind informed her she wasn't. He gave her a look of disbelief, but it was undermined when he tried to sit up and visibly flinched.

"Dad?"

"Selmak's got it," was all he said before saying louder in response to the Colonel, "We're alive here, Jack."

Teal'c stood up and brushed off the dirt as if their sudden decent was nothing more than a minor tumble on the ground. "As am I."

MacGyver had already gotten up and was walking back up the slope. "Looks like there were a few large cavities in the side of this hill. The flood probably broke some of the foundation away. At any rate, the ship's free and clear now."

Sam looked up the _hill_ to see that MacGyver was right. The slope's collapse had dug out all but a quarter of the ship, which now sat crooked against the ground, it's small black-brown pyramid shape a sharp contrast to the red, brown, and green surrounding it.

A shadow loomed over them, and startled, Sam looked up at the Colonel, meeting his deeply worried gaze. "You okay?" She could only nod, not trusting herself to actually answer without sounding pathetic. Then his expression changed to one of annoyance. "Next time Jake, think about what you're saying _before_ you say it."

A look of shocked realization covered her father's face. Sam knew _exactly_ how he felt.

* * *

Jack closed his eyes and instantly felt himself drift off to sleep. It had taken them a surprisingly short amount of time to get off the ground. The ship's door had opened up when he and Mac approached it, and even after all these years, it powered up as if it'd only been a day since it was buried. It took much longer to convince the rest to stay behind. In the end Jacob had talked Jack into letting him come, insisting that he and Selmak would be needed to operate the ship, especially since everything was written in that ancient dialect of goa'uld. 

"Besides," Jacob had told them, "With Selmak, I have the best chance out of all of us of surviving our encounter with Sedet." Jack didn't feel like correcting the man. Instead, he'd found a place to relax while they made their way towards one more confrontation Jack already knew would probably end in both victory and disaster.

It felt like it was only a minute later when MacGyver shook him awake. "How long was I out?" Jack groggily asked.

"Only about a minute."

"Figured as much."

Mac gave him an apologetic smile, and then explained, "We already picked up Sedet's ship on the scanners. It's a lot closer than we thought."

"What else is new?" Jack grumbled. He pulled his feet closer to get up and see for himself, but then thought better of it. Best to rest as much as possible now, while they had the chance.

As if reading his mind, Jacob told them, "We're still twenty minutes out." The man was perched precariously on the edge of a seat obviously not suited for humans. He fiddled with the controls for a minute, and then turned in his seat, a troubled expression creasing his face. "Do you have a plan for when we get there?"

MacGyver and Jack exchanged knowing looks before Mac shrugged, replying with a simple, "No."

"Call me picky, but don't we _need_ a plan?"

"Probably not."

Jacob looked at him with droll disbelief. Jack tried hard not to smirk, and smartly told him, "Hey, you're the one who wanted to come along."

Then Mac explained, "Plans don't ever seem to work out the way we intend them to, anyway. Especially lately. Improvising seems to work much better."

A whole new expression creased Jacob's face making Jack want to sigh. When a couple of minutes had passed and Jacob still hadn't said anything, Jack finally stated, "You might as well ask what you really want to ask, Jake."

"So, are the two of you really _exactly_ identical? Because I trust Sam when she says your odd…_connection_...is having adverse side effects, but I find it hard to believe that your mere proximity to each other could _possibly_ destroy the world."

"It's what Gents believed would happen," Jack said, instantly subdued by the thought.

"We _are_ exactly identical, physically at any rate, and even then, only once we've run into each other," MacGyver confirmed, and then almost absently extrapolated, "For some things distance doesn't seem to matter, like when we both broke our leg, I was halfway around the world at the time, but the closer we are the more similar we become. And the more our luck intensifies." His expression became troubled. "Sam said the effects had spanned several states. Just how bad has it gotten?"

"According to the news, pretty bad," Jacob told them. "Things are getting really crazy down there."

Jack felt his heart sink in his chest. His worst fears were finally coming to light, and _they_ were the cause. Looking equally disconcerted, MacGyver sank to the floor beside Jack and murmured, "I just don't get it. It doesn't add up."

"We knew this was always a possibility," Jack glumly told his twin.

"The area of effect has never been so large before, and it hasn't even been more than three days!" MacGyver adamantly argued.

Was that all? To Jack, it felt like it'd been forever. Jacob frowned at them. "Just how often have you run into each other before now?"

"Several times. Except for that one time as kids we've always made sure it was never more than a couple days, but things have never escalated as far or as quickly as they have this time round."

"Because we've never been so different," Jack stated with sudden realization. His mind quickly worked through the theory that had blossomed in his head. He turned to Mac, hoping that voicing his thoughts out loud could make it all fall into place. "Everything has a quantum field, and in our case, it always seems to want to change the things around us, creates our so called 'luck.'"

MacGyver nodded like it was old news, adding, "It's when we come in contact with each other that, for lack of a better term, we 'synch up,' and as a consequence the resulting 'backwash' increases our 'luck' as well as the field of influence."

Feeling rather impatient, Jack finished the theory they'd worked out over the years, "Every action must have a consequential _reaction_, even on a quantum level. And the reason things get worse the longer we're together is because life can never stay constant, so changes are constantly being made and accounted for between us, adding to everything that's already happened. But Mac," and suddenly Jack just knew what he was about to say was absolutely true, "We _haven't_ completely synched up…_yet_."

At first startled, MacGyver just stared at him, but then understanding as well as fear entered the eyes of Jack's genius brother. "The time between you getting shot and me getting stabbed in the side…"

"Should have been almost instantaneous," Jack grimly finished for him. "I _think_ we're still trying to synch up. The last time we saw each other was before I stepped through the gate, and a lot has happened since then. More than just your average change in blood pressure or diet. I've been affected by alien parasites more times that I'd like to recount, I've even had a snake…_evaporate_, or whatever, in my head once."

"If we haven't synched up by now, then the amount of energy coming from us must be…" Mac was at a loss for words, caught up in the magnitude of what they were suggesting.

Jack knew how Mac felt, but now that it was out, there was no denying it. "It's gotta be huge. _Astronomical_ even. It's why things have gotten so out of hand."

"And why we can't seem to get away from each other, or why the effect doesn't wear off that quickly even when we do."

Grimly, Jack stated, "This won't end until we _do_ synch up, one way or the other." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. Now that it was out, he wished it wasn't. What could they possibly do to stop something like this?

After a minute of depressed silence, Jack opened his eyes to see that Jacob was staring at him. Not them, _him_. "What?" Jack finally demanded.

"You really are twins, aren't you?" Jacob simply asked.

Jack was completely thrown by the question. "What, you couldn't tell from _looking_ at us?"

"No, what I mean is…Jack, I had no idea how smart you were." And suddenly a grin spread across the man's face. "Sam's going to be annoyed when she finds out."

Now Jack was really floored. Here they were talking about how everything was completely messed up and could result in the possible destruction of Earth, and all Jacob had to say was Carter would be upset because Jack had finally revealed his hidden IQ! "Who says she has to find out," Jack sullenly grumbled.

Jacob laughed, but MacGyver gave him an injured looked, quietly questioning, "Just how dumb _do_ you act, Jack?"

It wasn't like he did it specifically to spite Mac or even scientists in general, although in a way he realized it was, but science was what had created this mess to begin with, and he'd never forgiven Gents for what happened to them.

"We all knew he wasn't an idiot," Jacob answered Mac. "We just didn't know he was secretly a scientist, too."

"I am _not_ a scientist," Jack adamantly proclaimed. When Jacob just chuckled, Jack exclaimed with frustration, "I can't believe you're laughing at a time like this!"

Jacob just shrugged. "To be honest, even Selmak's having a hard time grasping what's going on between you two. Sam thought if you could get Gent's device to work, you could somehow reverse everything, or at least stop whatever it is that's really happening. Maybe that's still true."

MacGyver instantly supported Jacob's idea, adding, "We just need to unlock the Keys to figure out how to work it."

Jack groaned. He was surrounded by _optimists_. Then Jacob finally turned the conversation to something more tangible. "How much do you know about Sedet?"

"Not much," Mac admitted. "Just that he was Akh's brother."

Jacob proceeded to fill them in on everything he'd learned back at the SGC. The part about the 'Gifts of the Hereta' was especially disturbing to Jack.

"It's most likely Sedet has some sort of cloaking technology," Jacob told them.

"I don't know Jacob. That doesn't seem right to me."

"I agree," Mac added, siding with Jack.

"What else could the Gift of Shadows mean?" Jacob argued, but Mac just shrugged.

"I guess there's only one way to find out."

A beeping pulled Jacob's attention back to the console. "We're there, but I don't know how you plan to get them out of hyperspace. This ship doesn't have much in the line of firepower."

"Don't worry about that," Jack told him. "Just make sure we cross in front of their path."

Jacob seemed dubious, but Jack felt the subtle shift as Jacob changed course. A minute later a hard jolt shook the ship, and they instantly dropped out of hyperspace.

Jack gritted his teeth as the momentum of their sudden stop tried to imbed him into the wall. "Jacob! I said to cross in _front_ of them, not to _hit_ them!"

"I didn't!" Jacob protested. They were all trying to get to their feet, and as Jacob worked furiously at the controls, resolving one 'beeping' emergency after another, Jack finally got his first look at Sedet's ship.

It was huge, much bigger than the standard ha'tak, but still in that familiar pyramid shape. The biggest difference was that it was predominantly black, making it much harder to see with the naked eye. And like them, the monster was currently stuck in space.

"I can't get our shields up," Jacob informed them with concern.

"Any chance you're still working on it?" Mac hopefully questioned as several small ships left the black ha'tak and headed in their direction. In many ways they resembled arrowheads, and looked just as ready to cut right through them.

"Of course I'm still working on it," Jacob practically growled.

"The only reason I'm asking is-"

"Incoming!" Jack interrupted, grabbing onto the back of Jacob's seat as missiles of energy rocked their little ship, threatening to tear it to pieces. A wave of electricity seemed to pass over the entire hull and go straight into the systems, causing several of the warning 'beeps' to both start and stop suddenly. "Jake, hail them."

"And say what?"

"I don't know. We're emissaries of Akh or some diplomatic crap like that! _Anything_."

But it became apparent they wouldn't get the chance the moment Jacob reached for the controls. "Comm's out. _Everything_ but life support is down!"

Then an all too familiar sound emanated from behind them. Jack turned to see the transport rings materialize in the cabin's small space. Instinctually, Jack reached for his gun, only to realize he didn't have one, none of them did. For that matter, they hadn't brought _any_ weapons of _any_ kind with them, not even a zat. "D'oh!"

Inside the rings, three aliens appeared, unlike any Jack had met before. He thought they were bipeds, but their limbs had a disjointed look to them, and like bugs, they had an exoskeleton, the hard shimmering shell literally becoming their armor. Then all at once they disappeared and alarm washed through him.

Unable to see the enemy, they were helpless to stop them. Only instinct saved Jack from a blow that very well might have smashed his skull in, but several _somethings_ still struck him in the neck, the thigh, and the ankle, the last pulling his feet out from under him.

"We come in peace!" Jack heard Mac try, but they wouldn't know English, and the creatures' rather fanatical reaction was to open fire inside the cabin itself. A blast knocked the lights out plunging everything into complete darkness.

Feeling more confident now that they were on equal ground –forget the fact that the aliens had weapons and they didn't- Jack decided to attempt a tackle on one of the creatures. If he could just wrestle away one of their weapons, whatever they were, wherever they were, maybe they had a fighting chance, but this time luck was against him.

A knock to the head put a ringing in his ears, and the next punch Jack swung connected with something soft, not hard. "Ow! Jack!" Mac protested even though Jack knew his twin couldn't see him.

More shots were fired, creating sharp flashes of light that hurt the eyes. Then one finally hit Jack in the shoulder and he fell, crying out against the pain. It had the same kick a staff weapon did. Jack blinked back the tears that filled his eyes, but a light suddenly enveloped him. Thankfully it wasn't the light of another weapon discharge, but it was something almost as equally unwanted.

His body went numb as the rings reduced him to nothing but energy. He wasn't sure if he fell unconscious at the other end or mid transport, but either way, Jack welcomed the darkness.

* * *

Next chapter should be up next week. It needs editing. _Lot's_ of editing. . 

Ffnet changed the way my files format...now I'm missing all my chapter breaks and stars...how annoying :(


	24. gift of shadows

Author's Note: Thanks so much for all the feed back. I'm glad people are still enjoying this fic. :) And thanks as always to my wonderful beta readers, SealRescuer and Dimac99:D Also, I'm trying out the double quotation marks for chapter breaks (merf, stupid ffnet formatting…grumble grumble), thanks Teri for the idea. :D

And on with the story:D

"""""""

Daniel flattened himself against the wall as a team of technicians rushed by. As crazy as things currently were in the SGC, they were actually in a bit of a lull compared to the events from the last couple of hours. By the time SG4 had returned with Jack's message, the Alpha List had already been activated by the President himself. Daniel guessed it had something to do with the freak blizzard that Washington was still trying to dig themselves out of. That, and the new volcano growing in Kansas, the sudden drying out of the Mississippi river, and the submarine a tornado dropped in the middle of Oklahoma. Meteorologists were still trying to determine how _that one_ could have happened.

Daniel hefted the bag he was carrying back over his shoulder. Then, gripping his single crutch under his other arm, he continued to work his way along the crowded hallway. The General had ordered anyone who wasn't necessary to the immediate function of the SGC through the gate to the Alpha Site, so Daniel had determined to make sure he was still necessary. Desperately underhanded, Janet had had no choice but to let him help by running errands between the storage rooms and the infirmary. Perhaps 'running' was a bit of an overstatement, it was really more like _limping slowly_, but Janet knew how badly Daniel needed to stay on Earth and so had given in to his generous _offer_ to help.

Ahead, the elevator opened and Sam and Teal'c stepped out. Seeing them, Daniel brightened considerably, and hobbling as fast as he could, the anthropologist called out to them.

Hearing him, they turned and Daniel's breath caught in his throat. After so many missions together, Daniel thought he'd seen them all at their worst, but Sam looked like the walking dead. Her normally blond hair was a muddy brown and his keen eyes easily picked out the darker patches covering both her arms and legs that Daniel was sure would later prove to be blood.

"What happened?" he immediately demanded.

Teal'c, looking somewhat better than Sam, solemnly answered, "We located O'Neill and MacGyver."

"Ya, Major Wilder told us, but what _happened_ to you guys?"

Sam sighed. She looked like she was on the verge of passing out, and probably was. "We were caught in a flash flood."

"A mountain then collapsed from underneath us," Teal'c added.

Daniel stared at them in shock, but with the way the day had gone, he knew he shouldn't have been so surprised. "We should go see Janet."

"There's no time for that," Sam stated, but she teetered uncertainly until Teal'c put a hand under her arm to support her. She didn't even notice. "We need to talk to the General and retrieve the device MacGyver made at the Colonel's house."

"It'll be easier to get the General to the infirmary then it will be trying to get to his office right now," Daniel told her, encouraging her ahead of him.

Irritation creased Sam's wearied face. "I'm fine, I don't need help."

Anyone looking at the Major would disagree, but Daniel hadn't actually meant to imply she couldn't physically make it to Hammond's office. Daniel was trying to transport goods on one foot after all. Right now the General's time was split in so many directions that tracking him down was far more effort than it was worth. And Sam really _did_ look ready to collapse.

Daniel was about to tell her so when he noticed the man standing behind them. He'd ridden the elevator down with Teal'c and Sam, but hadn't moved on, and was casually looking around from side to side with his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets. With all the unfamiliar faces filtering through the SGC of late, Daniel hadn't thought much of the man standing there, until now. "Who's this?"

Sam and Teal'c both turned and looked at the man with a raised eyebrow. The man, his thick mustache twitching and his eyes glinting with excitement, grinned at Daniel in such a way it made the anthropologist a little nervous, and then introduced himself with an outstretched hand, "Jack Dalton, pilot extraordinaire!"

"How did you get in here?" Sam questioned, still looking surprised. They hadn't noticed him in the elevator with them? Daniel was even more convinced that they needed to get to the infirmary. Apparently, Teal'c was in agreement, because he started guiding Sam slowly down the hall in that direction.

Everyone else followed, and this Dalton person candidly responded, "I was just following you guys."

She seemed almost upset by the answer, "You're not allowed to be here. I don't even know how you got past the guards."

Daniel wasn't nearly so surprised. "They've been bringing people in as fast as they can, and considering everything that's been happening, they probably just assumed he was with you."

Sam groaned, looking far too tired to be able to handle this new dilemma. It didn't help that Dalton cheerfully put in, "I've never been to a secret military base before. A couple of the Phoenix research labs, but nothing near as spiffy as this. So what do you guys do down here, anyway?"

Thankfully they reached the infirmary before they had to come up with an answer. The large room was packed with people moving in all directions, but even amidst all the chaos, Janet instantly spotted them.

The petite doctor quickly ushered them towards a bed tucked in the corner of the room. Every inch of seating room possible was already taken up, but a fierce glare emptied the bed of its current occupants, two injured airmen that with one look at Janet's face couldn't scurry away fast enough. Hop away, really. Like Daniel, they had their left legs in casts.

"So is it all over?" Janet immediately asked, as she imperiously gestured for Sam to sit on the bed. Daniel quickly looked for a bit of wall he could lean against, but there was barely room to stand, with both bodies and machinery crowding any available space. Letting his laden bag fall to the floor, he settled for half leaning against a defibrillator.

Sam grimaced, whether from Janet's blunt question or the pain the Major was no doubt experiencing, Daniel didn't know. Probably both. "Hardly," Sam replied, "Akh is dead, but Sedet is on his way, and then there's the problem with the Colonel and MacGyver."

"They've left Earth already, haven't they?"

Blinking up at her, Sam's tired eyes slightly glazed over. "How did you know that?"

Smiling mischievously, Janet began to examine Sam as she answered, "Aside from preening information out of Lieutenant VonGnechten, from the moment you left up until a little while ago, I was getting a new patient every five minutes, all with the same broken leg." She glanced over at Daniel with pursed lips, or more pointedly at his crutch.

Daniel held the crutch protectively to his chest, objecting, "Hey, I already gave up one!"

The doctor shrugged as if it weren't so important, and returned to her examination of Sam. "I told you not to use the arm," Janet scolded, although to Daniel, that seemed to be the _least_ of Sam's injuries.

Once again irritation creased the Major's face. "I'm fine," she stubbornly stated, and then quickly changed subjects when Janet gave her a quelling look. "You said the strange events have stopped? The field of effect from the energy the Colonel and MacGyver are outputting must go with them. That would imply the quantum mechanics are constantly changing, it's not just a simple case of cause and effect."

If Daniel didn't know Sam was a genius, he'd think she was delirious, but beside him Dalton suddenly exclaimed, "Is that what's going on? Mac always did have uncanny luck." The man grinned, adding a little _too_ gallantly, "Had to save him myself quite a few times. But that's what friends are for, right?"

Everyone just stared at the man. Daniel was ashamed to admit he'd already forgotten the guy was even with them. Like an echo of his question in the hallway, Janet queried, "Who're you?"

"Jack Dalton, pilot extraordinaire!" Dalton answered, grinning wider.

Janet's eyebrow raised in question, then she looked to rest of them for a real answer and Teal'c responded, "He is a friend of MacGyver's."

"He's not supposed to be here," Sam moaned.

Amusement briefly tugged at the doctor's lips and she smartly replied, "Well, it's too late now. To minimize the amount of confusion, the General's left orders for no one to leave the mountain once they're through security. I'm afraid there's only one way out of here, now."

"Whoa, hey," Dalton exclaimed, raising his hands in quick defense, "there's no need for that. I'm harmless. Fantastic at keeping secrets, won't tell a soul what I've seen. In fact, I haven't really seen anything!"

Daniel frowned at the man, completely confused by Dalton's sudden change in behavior. Just what did he think the 'one way out of here' was? But then Teal'c calmly told the man, "No one here will harm you, JackDalton."

Melodramatically wiping a hand across his brow in relief, Dalton smiled again. "Whew! Thanks big guy. You all had me worried there for a moment. So, what's the plan?"

Again they all just stared at the man. Ignoring Dalton, Sam turned to Janet, "It's absolutely vital we get the device from the Colonel's."

"It's _absolutely vital_ that you get some rest," Janet countered.

Daniel wondered what device Sam kept talking about, but suddenly remembered the box that he had seen sitting on Jack's coffee table. It had been capable of revealing the hidden symbols the Keys projected. "You mean that strange light table? Can't you make one here?"

"We do have the right materials," Sam admitted, but she sounded so close to the brink of tears with exhaustion that Daniel quickly reassured her it wouldn't be necessary.

"I'll see if I can find someone on their way in to pick it up for us."

Faintly smiling in gratitude, Sam finally capitulated to Janet's urging to lay back and rest. It didn't last long, as a groan from the mountain itself had them all on edge in alarm. "Could they be back so soon?" Sam hesitantly questioned with worry.

"I don't think so." Shaking her head, Janet grimly told them, "We've been dealing with minor structural damage ever since the quakes." Another groan, much louder than the first, brought the room to a dead silence, and everyone heard the not so subtle sound of metal snapping as though under vast pressure.

"Everyone out!" Janet yelled.

People immediately headed for the door, but there were more injured than there were nurses and the evacuation of the infirmary was slow going. Daniel reached for the bag of medical supplies while trying to keep his crutch under his arm, but soon both were forgotten as a deafening crack, far too much like the one that had preceded the cave-in inside the ruins, had him raising his head in alarm.

Time seemed to slow down, leaving Daniel frozen on the spot, as a large chunk of the ceiling collapsed on the other side of the room, bringing with it several levels of rubble. People scrambled out of the way as more debris fell, and then the wall collapsed inward, along with huge chunks of concrete that formed the outer wall of the SGC. With another moan from the mountain, the floor collapsed under the combined weight of the rubble, sending it crashing down on the level below. An airman who hadn't been able to quite clear the area in time hung desperately to the edge of the remaining floor.

Daniel instantly jumped forward to help, practically tossing his crutch aside in his haste. Pain laced up his leg, but the anthropologist's attention was fixated completely on the airman. "I got you," Daniel said, falling to the floor and grabbing the man's arm, but when he tried to lift the guy up, he suddenly found he had no leverage to pull with. Gritting his teeth, Daniel tried to use arm strength alone, the airman doing his part to try and climb up himself, and then Teal'c was there, the large jaffa easily lifting the fallen airman clear, and hauling him to safety.

Sighing with relief and gratitude, Daniel rolled over and tried to get up as well, but his leg wasn't cooperating in the slightest, and Daniel fell back to the floor with a grunt. Teal'c passed the injured airman off to another and turned back to help Daniel, but before the jaffa could take more than a step towards him, a crack spread across the floor between them.

Instinct had Daniel trying to cross that crack as fast as possible, but it was already too late, and the floor suddenly vanished below him. For two very long seconds Daniel felt completely weightless, then, with a painful jerk he hit something, causing his body to flip around before he hit something else. Frantic hands grabbed at anything and everything in reach. They burned with pain as sharp edges sliced across his seeking palms and fingers, but the next object to break his fall was more solid, catching him heavily across the midriff. Daniel desperately clung to it, finally successful in stopping his descent.

"Daniel!" "DanielJackson!"

Daniel could hear the others calling down to him and automatically responded in kind, yelling back with a choking breath, "I'm okay!" But he wondered if he really was. Blinking back tears, Daniel looked up, shocked to find he'd tumbled three stories, and there were at least another three stretched out below him. Flickering lights from the broken levels illuminated a rather large cavity inside the mountain, its walls made up of a mix of stone, cement, broken guard rails, and support beams that stuck out at various intervals. It was one such support beam that Daniel was clinging to. The jagged bar of steel was bent at a dangerous angle, stretching out across the void the collapse had created and only barely still attached to the floor it used to belong to.

Daniel felt himself slip as he unconsciously shifted in his efforts to look around. Instantly tightening his grip again, a burning pain spread across his whole body, but he just ignored it and gripped even harder till at last the sliding stopped. It was a moment more before he was able to breathe again, both injury and fear stealing his breath.

"Daniel, just stay there!" Sam yelled from above. "We're coming to get you!"

_Like I have a choice!_ Daniel internally grumbled, and then gasped as his hold almost slipped again. Squeezing his eyes shut, Daniel hoped they'd hurry. If there was ever a time to be lucky it was now, but Jack and Mac weren't here anymore, and Daniel wasn't so sure his own 'luck' was strong enough.

""""""""

MacGyver had tried to wake Jack up several times without success. While that had him greatly worried, at least Jack was still breathing, and his pulse was normal. On the down side, the Colonel was a little pale, and his shoulder was burned, much like Daniel's leg had been back when he'd been hit on the alien planet. The weapons these Sedetians (for that was what MacGyver had decided to call them) used didn't look the same, but the energy they expended was likely based on the same principles.

Pacing the small cell they'd been deposited in, MacGyver turned back to once again check up on Jack. They'd been through so much already in such a short amount of time, it was a miracle they hadn't collapsed before now. But while Mac knew sleep was something they both desperately needed, it just wasn't something they could afford.

"Jack?" MacGyver called, softly shaking the Colonel's good shoulder. At last the man elicited a small groan. With a large smile of relief, Mac greeted his groggy would-be brother, "Morning."

"Is it?" Jack tiredly queried. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and blinking, looked around. "Jacob?"

MacGyver sighed. "Don't know. He didn't come with us from Akh's ship, and I couldn't understand a thing these guys were saying." He helped Jack to sit up, and then sat down on the floor next to him. Feeling rather subdued, Mac murmured, "You were out for a while."

Jack just nodded, grimacing heavily as he shifted, trying to take a look at his injured shoulder. He slowly lifted the arm, carefully testing its range of movement. "It happens."

"I don't know what's worse, knowing you got hurt, or knowing I'm _going_ to get hurt."

Looking up at him, startled, Jack met MacGyver's worried gaze. MacGyver could tell the Colonel wanted to deny the possibility, but it was more than that, it was a reality. Previously, any time they met up, things happened almost simultaneously, and except for their first time as kids, nothing so adventurous had been going on in their lives. "We can probably use our injuries to gauge how long we have before we synch up." MacGyver theorized.

"Ya," Jack glumly replied. Then a bit louder, he faked a grimace and complained good-naturedly, "Why do I always get hurt first!"

"Because you're the oldest!" MacGyver told him, relieved to hear Jack's old sense of humor again.

Making a face, Jack told him seriously, "You know just as well as I do that we were probably born at the exact same time."

MacGyver just shrugged, still smiling, but soon the smile dropped away as the moment ended and the severity of their predicament came crashing back. Even if they got out of here, stopped Sedet, and obtained the third Key, they'd already put Earth through so much turmoil, did they really have the right to chance going back? "Do you think it would all stop if we just ended it now?"

"Don't be a pessimist, that's _my_ job."

Startled, Mac looked over at Jack to see the Colonel fiercely glaring at him. Mac hadn't realized he'd spoken out loud, and even now he didn't know what to say. "Jack, I…"

"Never, in all the situations we've been in, together or on our own, have we ever given up on the chance of living, and you shouldn't now," the Colonel adamantly stated. Then Jack's expression softened, and he sighed. "I'll do anything to save my planet, and if it comes down to ending things, then we will, but there's no sense in thinking about it prematurely." A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "One thing at a time, Mac."

MacGyver had to agree, and feeling much better, looked up and around the simple cell. "There's bound to be something we can use to get the door open."

Before he even had a chance to come up with anything, the lights flickered briefly and the cell door slid open. Jack smirked, remarking, "_Love it_ when that happens!" They quickly got to their feet, but before they could take even a step, two Sedetians appeared in the doorway, weapons raised.

MacGyver sighed. "_Hate it_ when _that_ happens!"

While they couldn't understand a word the Sedetians said, MacGyver wasn't even sure the human mouth was capable of speaking their language, it was clear what the aliens wanted them to do. Poked and prodded down the hall of the strange ship, Mac couldn't help but watch in fascination as the guard walking in front seemed to unconsciously blend in and out of visibility.

The scientist in him reasoned that it had to have something to do with the shell like skin they all had. Even their weapons shimmered in and out of sight, and they were covered in the same substance. A chameleon changed colors to match its environment, but that wasn't what was happening here, Mac was sure of it. It was more as if their shell-like skin bended light around it, instead of reflecting it, like any normal opaque object would.

A quick jab in the side brought his musings to an end and Mac gave Jack an annoyed look. But Jack just made a face and nodded to the guard they were following, and again to one behind him.

MacGyver blinked. Jack wanted to attack them_ now?_ Was he _insane!_ They still didn't have any weapons, Jack was freshly injured, not that that seemed to matter anymore, and their last one-on-one with the Sedetians hadn't exactly gone that well. MacGyver shook his head, and as expected, the Colonel glared at him.

But MacGyver didn't care, this wasn't the right time to escape, he was sure of it. They hadn't even seen Sedet or the last Key yet. That soon changed. The guards had led them to what Mac assumed was the bridge. Several of the Sedetians were working and talking in what Mac interpreted as frantic behavior. Considering the lights still flickered from time to time, and sparks were coming from one of consoles, Mac guessed it was because they hadn't be able to get their ship working yet.

Then one of the aliens turned to them and instinctively MacGyver knew it was Sedet. To confirm the fact, the alien's eyes glowed, all five of them, but more importantly, the blue gem imbedded in a circlet around its head also began to glow. Then the goa'uld spouted off something in the strange alien language the Sedetians spoke, and fiercely waved one of its armored arms at them in a threatening manner.

"Did you understand any of that?" Jack asked Mac.

"Not a word." Mac thought he could hear traces of the ancient goa'uld dialect in Sedet's speech patterns, but the Sedetian body the goa'uld inhabited probably wasn't capable of speaking it. Smiling with hope, Mac remarked, "At least they haven't gotten the ship moving again."

Of course, no sooner had he said it, than the ship jerked into motion, forcing them to catch their step or risk falling gracelessly to the floor. As soon as they regained their footing, Jack shot him a glare so full of promised retribution that Mac grimaced. He _really_ needed to stop saying things out loud.

The aliens were in an excited calamity for a few minutes, but Jack and Mac weren't so lucky as to be forgotten about completely and all too soon, Sedet's attention was back on them. He said something more to them, and Mac raised his hands, helplessly shaking his head. "I'm sorry. We don't understand what you're saying."

Sedet's blue gem began to glow again. At first Mac thought it was a trick of the light, but all of a sudden every shadow in the room began to move, coming alive and swallowing up everything around them. The bridge, the Sedetians, even the light itself. Mac quickly looked to Jack, but the Colonel was already gone. Frantic, Mac took a single step back before the blackness engulfed him.

MacGyver had been in sensory deprivation tanks a few times in his life. He'd found them peaceful, quiet. But he'd always had a sense of self. Here, it was as if _nothing_ existed. "Jack!" Mac yelled into the nothingness, or _thought_ he yelled, but no sound was emitted. He couldn't see anything, hear anything, couldn't even feel his own heart beating.

This was Sedet's power, MacGyver realized. The Gift of Shadows that Jacob had warned them about.

He was about to try and will his body to move, even without being able to feel it, when a blue light entered the nothingness. Naturally, his senses veered towards it. As it got stronger, or as he neared, more feeling came back to him. He could see himself in its reflection, feel his feet moving as he stepped closer, and even hear his breath, the sound a light whisper in the non-existent air.

The blue light moved and Sedet stepped out of the shadows, the light coming from his gemmed circlet, now around the head of a very different looking alien than a Sedetian. This one was definitely humanoid, although it was skinnier, with arms and legs that were a little longer than normal, and it had a mouth full of sharp pointed teeth.

"Now, as I said before, where are my brothers, Akh and Ra?" Sedet asked, the words coming across in English while its mouth moved at a different speed, as if he were being badly dubbed.

"I can understand you," Mac remarked, startled.

"Of course," The goa'uld snarled impatiently. "There are no boundaries in the mind."

"You're in my mind?" MacGyver was both fascinated and appalled by the concept.

Then Jack's voice remarked beside him, "I never thought your mind would be so_ empty_, Mac."

Turning, Mac found Jack standing next to him in the blackness. He couldn't keep from smiling with relief, if they were together, even here, then they still had a chance. Sedet wasn't so happy, and exclaimed, "How can you be here, you should still be trapped in the shadows! I can not enter _two_ minds at once." The alien regarded them with suspicion, but then shook his head, dismissing the problem. "It does not matter. I will learn what I need to from you both."

MacGyver felt a tug at his thoughts, as if someone were literally pulling his memories to the surface. Unbidden, thoughts of Sam, his son, came to the forefront and the next thing he knew, the three of them were standing in the middle of London.

"Whoa!" Jack exclaimed, swaying slightly as he reoriented. Mac would have done the same, but the intrusion brought with it a sudden migraine that had him doubling over and heaving into a street side waste basket.

He could hear Jack ask if he was alright, feel Jack's supportive hand on his back, but more importantly, Mac could feel the cold metal edge of the trash can too, as if it were really there. Looking up, he was shocked to find the square they were in alive and bustling with life. It was just like he remembered it when he last came to visit Sam. The colored leaves rustled above him as a cold wind brushed across his face. It all seemed so real, and if it wasn't for the fact that no-one seemed to take notice of their little group, Mac would be hard pressed to believe it wasn't.

"Interesting," Sedet mused, turning in a full circle. "Primitive building structures, but a mass population. Simple creatures with enough evolutionary potential to sustain the Hereta intellect."

"We're not sustaining _anyone!_" Jack exclaimed, still hovering protectively over Mac.

"Of course you will," Sedet stated as if it were inevitable. "You…" He paused and Mac felt another small tug at his brain. "_Humans_, shall be hosts to a great and powerful race known as the Hereta. Once we reach your…Earth, I shall find my brothers and we shall summon the Hereta. We have been a long time searching for adequate hosts."

MacGyver clenched his eyes shut, both against the migraine still pounding in his head, and the emotional turmoil that came with the knowledge that he was putting Earth in danger. Even knowing the Hereta were dead wouldn't stop this goa'uld from invading, or from destroying the planet much like Akh had wanted to do.

A young voice caught his attention, and he looked up to see Sam, or the Sam from his memories, call out to someone from across the square. The sight of his son was enough to bring every paternal and protective instinct he had into motion. Turning, MacGyver dived at Sedet. "No!"

Initially, he'd intended to grab the circlet from off the alien's head, but instead his hands ended up around Sedet's neck, pushing the alien down. The illusionary world around them shimmered and changed as they hit the ground, and a moment later a sharp burst of energy engulfed Mac. Crying out, he released his hold and rolled away.

Sedet just laughed. The alien slowly got to his feet as he told them, "You can not harm me here. For here, nothing really exists."

"You okay?" Jack worriedly asked. Mac just nodded and then accepting Jack's help, stood up and looked around. They were no longer anywhere he recognized. The buildings all reached well above the clouds, several columns all surrounding a massive pyramid, with little pyramid shaped ships flying in every which direction. Mac thought perhaps they'd entered Jack's mind, but the Colonel put an end to that possibility, questioning darkly, "Where are we?"

Giving them a dangerous looking grin, Sedet gestured to the surrounding city, saying, "This is where I came from." Then he gestured to himself. "As this is the form of my first host."

"It's not an Unas."

"Unas, the First Ones," Sedet murmured, regarding them once again with suspicion. "If you know of the Unas, then it seems there is more to learn from you than I thought."

The alien turned back to look over the city as if reminiscing. "We knew the First Ones had come from outside our galaxy, but even the Hereta would not say from where. They were a great empire, ruled over the entire galaxy until a plague began killing all our hosts. My two brothers and I were sent to find suitable replacements. I had only just entered this galaxy when I received the message."

He turned to them, his eyes glowing dangerously. "And now, what do you know of my brothers? I will not ask again."

Mac steeled himself, preparing for the inevitable invasion of his mind. Protectively, Jack put himself between Mac and the alien, hesitantly saying, "I don't know how to tell you this, but you're the last one left."

"Explain!"

"The Hereta, Ra and Akh, they're all dead. They all bit off more than they could chew, and they got burned for it!" Jack fiercely stated.

"_Impossible!_" Sedet snarled out.

Even knowing it would happen, Mac wasn't prepared for the full onslaught of Sedet's presence that burrowed into his mind. He cried out in pain.

"Stop it! He doesn't know anything, you lousy snake!" the Colonel yelled at the goa'uld. Mac couldn't hear anything after that, the shadows sucking him up again and leaving him only with the pain. He tried to curl in upon himself, building mental walls to ward off the invasion, but Sedet just stripped away any protective blocks he fashioned the second they were formed. Helpless, Mac didn't think he'd be able to hold up against the attack much longer, but then suddenly Jack's presence was there with him in the shadows. Seeing it like a beacon in his mind, MacGyver immediately clung to it in an attempt to preserve his own sanity, and then something unexpected happened.

"""""""

Post Author's Note: For those of you wondering just how was it Dalton understood Sam, especially with so little info given…in my opinion, someone who comes up with some of the most wacky money making schemes has got to have a twisted sense of logic. :D Who better to understand some twisted bit of science? Haha. Okay, so maybe it's just me, but I'm not rewriting it! So na-ah:P


	25. safe landing

Author's Note: A little late I know, but at least it hasn't been another six plus months! ;) A huge thanks to my ever patient beta readers, SealRescuer and Dimac99! And a big hug and lots of smiles to all you readers and reviewers out there! You'll never believe it, but after this, there's just three more chapters to go! Woot:D

Author's Note2: Because there _might_ be a bit of confusion in the second section…if Jacob and Selmak are talking in his head, it's italicized, no matter who's talking. I only like to use quotes for when things are spoken out loud. Hopefully it isn't hard to follow. O.o

"""""""

Teal'c was the first to the door with JackDalton close behind him. When the jaffa swung it open he found himself blocked by a large pile of rubble. Beyond, the lights flickered, and a cable line sparked sharply as it swung loose from what remained of the ceiling. It was hard to make anything out, but the jaffa's keen eyes easily spotted the prone form of DanielJackson, his leg, still in its white cast, was like a reflective beacon in the blackness that dauntingly surrounded the young anthropologist.

As Teal'c and JackDalton began removing rubble, the strange pilot beside him startled the jaffa by yelling out, "Hang on, Buddy! We'll be there soon!"

"Hang on?" DanielJackson exclaimed from inside the room. "What do you think I'm doing?"

JackDalton chuckled, but didn't slow his pace. In fact, for a short man of questionable fitness, JackDalton was keeping up with the jaffa step for step. Teal'c had not expected this amount of determination or assistance from the pilot, but quickly decided it was a quality MacGyver must look for in all his friends.

But then, it was a quality O'Neill's friends possessed as well.

"Teal'c?" MajorCarter questioned. She had only just arrived and was breathing heavily as she sagged against the wall for support. Her face had turned deathly pale and Teal'c was momentarily torn between his need to protect both teammates.

Then SergeantSiler appeared, the eternally calm man quickly saying, "Sirs, Ma'am. The General has ordered the evacuation of the mountain. If we have just one more earthquake the whole structure could go."

"We can't," MajorCarter choked out, her voice catching in a constricted throat.

Teal'c looked at the Sergeant and simply explained, "DanielJackson is trapped in the room."

SergeantSiler nodded, and then curtly replied, "I understand." With that, he disappeared back down the hallway.

In the jaffa's pause, JackDalton had begun to throw himself against the rubble, pushing the larger pieces inward rather than trying to pull them out. Soon, they had enough of an opening to climb over the remaining debris and enter the room, or what was left of it.

Barely any floor space remained, and what little did was piled high with unstable pieces of the broken floors above. As they hesitantly maneuvered closer to the edge, Teal'c carefully examined the beam of metal DanielJackson was clinging to. It didn't look sturdy enough to hold any more weight than it was already supporting. "DanielJackson," Teal'c called out. The anthropologist was only three feet away from them, but those three feet might as well be three miles.

DanielJackson didn't immediately respond. Sucking air through his teeth he very slowly pulled his head up to meet the jaffa's gaze. "Get me off of this, Teal'c," the man pleaded, and the jaffa's heart cringed at the pain he saw in his friend's eyes. He would do as DanielJackson requested.

"Don't worry Buddy, we'll thi-" JackDalton began in reassurance, but stopped short as the debris he was standing upon suddenly shifted and he quickly had to regain his balance again. Bits of cement and metal, and other such odds and ends fell over the nearby edge, plunging down in a clatter till they crashed upon the cavity's sharp and jagged floor.

The near catastrophe had also caused DanielJackson to suddenly shift, and the anthropologist let out a small cry. Alarmed, Teal'c nearly jumped out to grab the man on instinct, but resisted, knowing it would accomplish nothing. Even in the flickering light, Teal'c could see the blood dripping from the anthropologist's hands. They did not have long. DanielJackson would soon be unable to maintain his hold.

JackDalton glanced over the edge with an appreciative whistle, and then looking over at Teal'c, questioned, "Got any bright ideas? I'm afraid this was always Mac's department."

Going straight out to aid his teammate would not be possible, and to catch him from below was unrealistic. Teal'c looked up, noticing that the ledge two floors above was stretched a little further out than the others. "Wait here," he immediately ordered the pilot. "I shall return."

"Whatever you say, big guy," JackDalton readily agreed.

As Teal'c turned back to the doorway, he noticed MajorCarter trying to maneuver into the room. It was not safe for her to be there, and rather than spend the time convincing her of this fact, Teal'c lifted the startled Major up and deposited her back outside the room. "You will be safe here," he stated, climbing out of the room himself.

MajorCarter opened her mouth to protest, but the exhaustion from the last few days finally got the better of her, and she sank to the floor. "What are you going to do?" she asked with concern.

Teal'c smiled, earning a faint smile in return. "I will return shortly with DanielJackson," he told her confidently, and then ran down the hallway in search of rope.

It was easy to find. The SGC was now completely empty, and the turning red lights that lined the halls filled the atmosphere with a desolate presence, fueling Teal'c's steps with a growing urgency. Again, the feeling that he didn't have long permeated the jaffa's thinking. With the rope swung over his shoulder, he ascended the two levels and entered the room above where DanielJackson waited.

Little debris coated this room, but while much of the floor remained intact, large cracks had spread across it like a web. First securing the rope to the door's handle, Teal'c gingerly made his way across the room to the broken edge. Sharp noises forced him to slow his pace out of caution, but nothing fell beneath his weight, and soon the jaffa was feeding the rope over the ledge. It would not fall directly over DanielJackson, but it would be close enough.

With the ease only years of training could provide, Teal'c gently lowered himself down the rope. Dust and bits of rubble followed after him. He was halfway down when a ceiling light came loose as things subtly shifted, and with a sharp clang swung down to hit the wall, jerking slightly until the wires that held it aloft had stilled.

"Careful there, big guy!" JackDalton needlessly called up to him.

The jaffa slowly released a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. He continued to slide down the rope. It was not far now. When he was almost level with DanielJackson, he was surprised to find he was only a foot away.

Wrapping his arm around the rope for a more secure hold, Teal'c rocked back and forth till he swung close enough to wrap his other arm around DanielJackson's midriff. The anthropologist flinched, and the floor support creaked uncertainly.

"JackDalton, I shall throw him to you," Teal'c ordered.

"Ahh…okay," the pilot hesitantly replied, sounding somewhat uncertain.

DanielJackson on the other hand sounded _completely_ uncertain. "Teal'c, are you sure?"

"Let go, DanielJackson," Teal'c told him in reply, but the anthropologist still hung tightly to the metal bar. "DanielJackson," the jaffa solemnly intoned, "I promise I will not let you fall."

Cringing a moment more, the anthropologist finally let go. Teal'c strained to hold his teammate's full weight with just one arm, but as he had told DanielJackson, he would _not_ let him fall. With nothing to anchor them in place, they swung back and forth, and while Teal'c knew DanielJackson was trying to remain as still as possible, convulsions uncontrollably ripped at the anthropologist's body, making it much harder for Teal'c to maintain his grip.

But the jaffa would not break his promise, of this he was certain, and with a strength bred from sheer determination, Teal'c forced them into motion, putting them on a new trajectory, one that would put his teammate into JackDalton's waiting hands.

It wasn't easy, and Teal'c worried as much for the injuries DanielJackson already had as for the ones the jaffa would inflict as he tossed the injured man with such momentum that it pushed both DanielJackson and JackDalton a safe distance from the edge. As he swung back, his swing awry with the sudden change of weight, a loud crack notified him of the imminent collapse of the floor that supported him. With one more powerful swing to gain momentum, Teal'c's feet touch the rock wall of the back of the cavity and he pushed off hard.

He let go of the rope even as he felt the tension begin to give way, and practically bowled into the two men still trying to get to their feet. Behind him the groans of the ceiling two levels above filled his ears. The jaffa protectively covered the other two men as best he could as sections of the above level finally collapsed, falling to join the other mass of debris three levels below.

When it subsided, Teal'c looked up to find MajorCarter peering in through the doorway, her eyes wide and her face white. "Are you guys all right?"

DanielJackson groaned, and struggling to sit up, wearily questioned, "I'm alive, does that count?"

At this point, Teal'c felt it did.

"""""""

_Jacob. You need to wake up._

Jacob knew the voice that was talking to him, but his muddled mind couldn't quite remember a name to match the voice. This was just as well, because right then, he wasn't really sure of anything, and wouldn't know quite how to respond. He tried to reason what exactly was going on. There was pain, the pain was easy to recognize, and he was fairly sure the tingling sensation in his left hand meant it was asleep. It was the odd buzzing in his foot that had him confused. There was a sort of rhythm to the buzzing, his fuzzy mind noted.

_I didn't have time to heal everything. You need to wake up,_ the voice told him, and then sighed again. At least, Jacob thought it was a sigh, but it was hard to tell since he didn't actually hear anyone sigh. How odd. _This is getting us no where. We must be loosing life support if you're still acting like this._ Again the voice sort-of sighed. _I guess that means it's up to me._ His eyes opened, although Jacob didn't remember opening them, and he turned his head, looking around. That's right, they were on a spaceship! He tried to look for anyone else on the little, and extremely damaged looking ship, but he didn't seem to have control of his movements. Instead, his eyes turned downward, to stare at his left foot.

_Well that's not good at all,_ the voice remarked.

It took Jacob a moment longer to understand that his foot was stuck inside the side of the ship itself, and that, like the voice had said, _wasn't_ a good thing. A small spark appeared from inside the wall and his foot buzzed yet again. This also, Jacob was sure, was not a good thing. In fact, the voice practically groaned in response. His hands reached forward to carefully work his foot free, several more jolts of electricity surging up his leg in the process, some stronger than others. Jacob could actually hear himself panting with exertion, but like a dream, it felt distant, although no less real. After a few minutes the pain subsided. It was amazing how that happened.

_Thank you, Selmak,_ Jacob thought on instinct, thinking briefly that that was the name he'd been trying to remember.

_It's taking a lot out of me to keep us sustained in this atmosphere, let alone heal you,_ the voice replied, sounding weary to Jacob. Then his body slowly got to his feet. For a moment, Jacob wondered if his left leg would cooperate, but while it didn't move too readily, it _did_ eventually move and he felt himself limp over to the front console. Was it normal for his body to move by itself? Jacob wondered, a part of him thought maybe it was.

_Your body isn't moving on its own! I'm moving it!_ The voice snapped. Jacob would have blinked, startled, if he could. But rather, his hands had already started to work with the controls, and suddenly Jacob felt a rush of air brush past his face.

_There, that should help,_ the voice stated smugly. _What would you do without me? _Jacob felt he could hear a grin with those words.

With the new air, the fog in his mind began to lift and everything slowly came into focus, including who the voice was and everything that had happened. Unfortunately, it also awakened him to the realization that his head hurt like never before.

_Selmak?_ He questioned in the silence of his mind where they shared internal conversations. _Where are Jack and MacGyver?_

_I believe they may be on Sedet's ship. _

_Right where they're most likely to find that third key,_ Jacob internally mused_. Can we transport over somehow?_

Again his hands worked at the controls, with Selmak still in control, but Jacob was perfectly fine letting his symbiote have dominance over his body right then, especially with his head pounding so hard. _No,_ Selmak stated._ There's only one system working at the moment, and that's the self-destruct. Life support won't last much longer, either. _

_Great, Jacob grumbled. So we're stuck in the middle of nowhere without any way to even contact anyone? _

_Not nowhere. Look._ Selmak lifted his head to better see out the main window of the ship. There was Sedet's ship, even closer than before._ Did we drift towards each other?_ Jacob wondered.

Selmak chuckled. _Not exactly. Look_ past _the ship._

He did, his mind suddenly understanding what his eyes had been seeing the whole time. The black mass of Sedet's ship had been blocking most of the view, but there in the not so distant space, was Earth. _Holy Hannah! How did we get here if the systems are down? Are we being towed? _

_No, I do not believe so. It's possible we were caught in their gravitational pull right as they entered hyperspace, and, how do you say, hitched a ride? It was when I felt the shift from us exiting hyperspace that I woke you._

_How long before we reach Earth?_

_Soon. _A chill ran through Jacob. He wasn't sure if it was him or Selmak, but in either case, this was most definitely _not_ a good thing._ Jacob, if chance were in fact orchestrated by some power of physics, then there might in fact be something we can do to help our friends. _

_Like what? I thought you said all the systems were down._

_All but one._

_You want to blow us up!_ Jacob briefly wondered if the energy needed to heal him had been too much on the symbiote.

There was a flutter of irritation in his mind and Selmak dryly replied, _I was thinking we could use one of the descent pods before it actually explodes. _

Jacob felt both embarrassed and humored by Selmak's response. He hadn't thought about the escape pods, but they weren't even sure they worked. This ship was thousands of years old._ Even if we decide to set the self destruct, what good would it do? We're too small to actually do any damage to Sedet's ship. _

_I don't know,_ Selmak answered him with complete honesty.

They were silent for a moment, but with an internal sigh, Jacob silently stated, _I guess this is where we trust to chance. _

I hate trusting to chance.

It was your idea.

I know.

Internally, Jacob grinned, feeling a grin from Selmak and knowing it was currently covering his face. _Let's do it._

In the time it took for Sedet's ship to enter Earth's orbit, they had not only found a working descent pod, the _only_ working descent pod, but had set the self-destruct for ten minutes, climbed into the pod and were on their way.

Belatedly, Jacob suddenly worried about hitting something on the way down, like a satellite or an airplane, not to mention what they might hit when they landed. But to his surprise their descent was smooth, all things considering, and the landing was so gentle he questioned if they'd actually landed, but the readings inside the pod all returned to normal, so he popped the hatch and opened the door.

With Selmak still in control, they carefully poked their head out of the descent pod and glanced around. Skyscrapers lay in every direction on the horizon, but trees dominated the landscape. Jacob recognized their location immediately. _We landed in Central Park!_ He internally sighed. _I guess it could have been worse, we could have gone right through a building. _

_I was more worried about getting shot down._

_By Sedet or Earth?_

_Both,_ Selmak admitted. They slowly climbed out of the pod, leaning heavily on it since his leg still refused to properly function. Looking around again, Selmak slowly asked, _Doesn't the 'world walk by' in Central Park? _

_That's the saying,_ Jacob replied, also wondering if there was anyone around.

Selmak moved them around to other side of the small pod where they came face to face with a large crowd of people in the middle of some sort of rally. But that was completely suspended as every one of those people stared in open shock at Jacob/Selmak.

_This is not good,_ Jacob silently remarked.

"No it is not," Selmak replied, accidentally speaking out loud.

"""""""

Were someone to take a satellite photograph over Colorado Springs, they would think Cheyenne Mountain had turned into an ant colony.

People were everywhere. What used to be the quiet, almost desolate grounds surrounding the mountain complex, were now swarming with any and all types of military personal along with an odd assortment of civilians from the Alpha List, trying to 'help out' while inevitably getting in the way.

Hammond looked about at the controlled chaos and not for the first time that day felt a little overwhelmed. The five Commands that shared the complex each had their own pavilion to work from, staying relatively out of each other's way, but with this many people in one area, paths were continuously crossing, and not always on the most pleasant of terms. It had been well written into the procedures that in the case of an emergency SGC had ultimate control, which was at least one thing Hammond didn't have to worry about, but with the authority came all the conflicts Hammond would sooner not deal with.

The SGC, occupying almost all the lower levels _had_ to be completely evacuated, but to abandon the other Commands, especially NORAD, would leave the entire North Continent unprotected. To make it worse, they'd just started to lose the uplinks to several satellites in orbit, although NORAD had confirmed the satellites were still there.

It was bad enough trying to prepare for a _possible_ goa'uld attack without having to deal with the peculiar events Earth seemed to be inexplicably suffering from. If he only knew what exactly it was they were dealing with, it'd be a place to focus everyone's energy. Colonel O'Neill's message to activate the Alpha List, while greatly belated, was a strong indication that he might at least have some sort of clue about the odd events.

He had yet to talk to Major Carter about it, and Major Wilder's quick briefing had made very little sense. The most he'd picked up was that the Colonel, Jacob, and some civilian Jack knew, were heading for the approaching goa'uld in another goa'uld's ship. Things were too busy at the time to get any more details, but while one might argue that that was still the case, suddenly the 'details' had risen on his priority list.

Hammond motioned to the one of the airman specifically assigned to run his errands. "Go see if you can locate SG1."

Yet before the airman could leave, Sergeant Siler came into the pavilion, reporting, "SG1 hasn't come up yet, sir. Dr. Jackson was trapped behind one of the areas that collapsed."

Frowning, Hammond quickly turned to Sergeant Davis, who he had put in charge of the evacuation, and questioned, "Do we have anyone else still inside the SGC?"

Davis consulted a list he himself had only just received a couple minutes ago, and then shook his head. "SG1 are the only people still unaccounted for."

Turning back to Siler, Hammond asked, "How safe is it to send a rescue team into the lower levels?"

"As long as there aren't anymore earthquakes, the remaining structure is safe, but we've already had two aftershocks, and it's highly probable we'll have more," Siler replied, telling the simple truth of the matter. It was one of the things the General appreciated most about Siler, but…_Damn it!_ Cheyenne Mountain was built to withstand a direct nuclear attack…and here they were, driven out by a _mere_ earthquake.

"Sir," Siler began, and Hammond knew exactly what the man was going to ask. "Permission to volunteer to-"

"Granted," Hammond cut him off. They would just have to take the chance and hope for the best. "As soon as you return, bring Major Carter to me."

Siler nodded and took off at a run, even while another airman entered the tent out of breath. "Sir, NORAD reports the appearance of a goa'uld mothership unlike any we've seen before. They want to reposition the Hubble to get a better look."

Standing up, Hammond fully intended to go directly to NORAD himself, but he didn't get more than a foot before another airman ran in, practically on the heels of the first, and then a third from a completely different direction.

"Sir, there was a flare or small explosion in front of the gould's ship, but they don't know what it was." The last time they had witnessed a 'flare' from a goa'uld ship in orbit, it had been SG1.

Then the third airman reported, "Sir, I have General Carter on one of the land lines at the gate." That had been the biggest problem with forcing near everyone out of the mountain, keeping communications flowing, not just from one Command to another, but to and from the rest of the world.

There was no more time for him to worry about _how_ this had all happened, so instead Hammond just let his training take over. He began issuing orders to anyone available. NORAD was to get as much information on the goa'uld ship as possible, the alert on the base had to be raised, the lower levels of the SGC had to be locked down as soon as SG1 had surfaced, to protect both the stargate, and themselves _from_ the stargate should the goa'uld find a way through the iris, the other Commanding Officers had to be gathered for an update and strategy meeting, and above all, he had to talk with The President.

Thankfully, they had a dedicated line that ran directly to his pavilion, just for that purpose. By the time his conversation with The President was over, the country's status alert had been raised to Def Con 1, and Hammond had been given permission to utilize the US's defense forces as he saw fit.

With grim determination, Hammond put the red phone back on its cradle. It was time to talk to the other Commands and decide what to do, but before that, he wanted to talk to Jacob. Perhaps the General would have some good news to impart. He left for the gate house before any of the other CO's arrived, leaving Davis at the pavilion to redirect traffic, bid the other COs to wait, and collect and sort any further reports coming in while he was gone.

There was just so much to do, and only so much time to do it in.

"Jacob," Hammond greeted as soon as he was handed the phone. "Where are you?"

"New York, Central Park," a slightly amused voice replied.

"Is Colonel O'Neill with you?"

"No," Jacob told him, his tone turning serious. "Jack and MacGyver are still on Sedet's ship." MacGyver must be the civilian, Hammond reasoned. Then Jacob asked him something unexpected, "George, has there been any more _odd_ events since the ship entered orbit?"

Frowning with unwanted confusion, Hammond replied, "We lost our connection with half our satellites around the same time."

"You're not going to like this, but you need to refrain from shooting at the goa'uld ship. If you do, your missiles are just as likely to malfunction and hit Earth, instead."

Jacob was right, Hammond _didn't_ like it. "What the hell is going on, Jake?"

"It all has to do with Jack and MacGyver. Sam can better explain it," Jacob told him. If only Major Carter were here.

No sooner had he thought it, than he spotted the Major and Sergeant Siler heading straight for them. The appearance of Major Carter shocked Hammond. She looked barely alive and was heavily leaning on Siler for support, practically hanging off the man to stay upright. Hammond suspected if Siler were to let go, she'd simply collapse.

"Sir," Major Carter breathed out, attempting to come to attention but quickly giving up on the idea.

"Major, I have your father on the phone. He says you know what's going on?"

She looked shocked, "They're back already?"

"Just your father, the Colonel and his friend are apparently on the goa'uld ship now in orbit. Now please, time is of the essence here."

"Yes sir," she replied, sounding both as if she were complying with his order, and agreeing with his statement. But when she spoke next, all she managed to say was, "It's a bit complicated."

Hammond wanted to groan, and barely keeping his frustration in check, ground out, "_Uncomplicate_ it!"

"It's like this, George," Jacob said over the phone, "There was this…_accident_…and so as long as Jack and MacGyver are close to each other, reality is…_bending_…around them."

"Bending reality?" Hammond repeated, his voice thick with disbelief.

"It's true, sir," Carter immediately stated. Hammond just indicated for her to go on. "The Colonel and MacGyver _are_ bending reality, and because every action causes a reaction, it's creating all the peculiar events. We found the device which Gents used to cause all this, and we have two of the three Keys. The Colonel and MacGyver should be able to get the third one from Sedet. As long as they're there, we _can't_ fire on Sedet's ship."

"You're asking a lot, Major," Hammond darkly stated, still wondering just how much of this could be real. "_Sedet_, could attack at any moment, and you want me to do _nothing?_"

"It would be worse if we attacked him, trust me," Jacob stated through the phone. "I understand enough now to know that Jack and Mac _will_ be able to defeat Sedet."

Hammond huffed, but then, he had blindly trusted SG1 to save Earth several times now, what made this time so different? "If the goa'uld fires, we're firing back," Hammond stated, not too confident the action would prove useful, but still feeling the need to do _something_.

"That's reasonable," Jacob replied, and suddenly added, "Oh, George, tell Sam, Jack said, 'They haven't synched up yet, and that's what's causing the quantum field to grow so quickly.'"

Hammond relayed the message and watched as the Major's eyes went wide. "Of course! The Colonel probably hasn't seen his brother since before he stepped through the gate! Who knows how much energy they're giving off! It's possible events have been lining up to collide like this ever since. But-wait, the _Colonel_ said this?"

Feeling his suspicion threaten to override the thin layer of trust he was placing on SG1, Hammond had to quickly divert himself from trying to sort out what Major Carter was saying, especially the part about Colonel O'Neill having a brother. He didn't _have_ a brother. "Jacob, will you be all right where you are?"

"I might need a bit of help," Jacob replied, hedging slightly. "I'm currently with a small crowd of people who saw my landing. I think I've convinced them I'm not an alien, but I _did_ come down in an escape pod."

"Understood. I'll see what I can do." Hammond hung up. That was one thing he _could_ do at least. He turned again to Major Carter. He didn't understand half of what was going on, but he knew one thing, the world was in eminent danger from something _other_ than the goa'uld, and his Colonel was in the middle of it. "How long, Major?"

She looked confused for a second, but sagging with realization, quietly replied, "Not long, sir."

Then he would deal with what he _did_ understand, and leave the rest up to Jack.

"""""""

Post Author's Note: Be sure to tune in next week, same 'gate time, same 'gate station, for "The Jaffa Tango!" (. I couldn't resist! Thanks Lorency for the absolutely _perfect_ chapter heading!)

Post Author's Note2: My beta told me to stop leaving her on cliffies…this didn't end on a cliffie, did it? I mean, just because I didn't resolve the _last_ cliffie…_dodges rotten fruit_…er…

Post Author's Note3: In case anyone's curious, in reality, there are four Commands that are housed in Cheyenne Mountain, NORAD, USNORTHCOM, USSTRATCOM, and AFSPC. It's one of the rare military installations housing multiple military organizations from both the US and Canada. Of course, in _my_ reality, the fifth Command exists, too! ;)


	26. The Jaffa Tango

Author's Note: Once again it's been a _long_ time since I last posted. Sorry 'bout that, but at last it's finished! This is the last two chapters in one, along with the Epilogue. The last, _final_ bit of this very _long_ fanfic! Warning, this isn't beta'd, not because it doesn't need it, (for I'm sure it does) but I opted to just post it for purely selfish reasons. I really _really_ wanted to finish and post this story before it reached '06. Two years is long enough for one fanfic, I think. ;)

Thank you to everyone who's read this fic. It's the longest piece of writing I've ever done, for anything. Woot!

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When Akh's ship blew up outside the massive black ha'tack, the bright flash, while it did no direct damage to the shields, or even the hull in general, caused one of the thousands of sensors to overload. This in turn fried a circuit, the only one of hundreds with a faulty resistor and one missing crystal that normally served as the glass-like unit's capacitor. The entire board overheated to the point of fracturing all the crystalline circuits, causing what might be considered the equivalent of an electrical fire.

The entire ship was plunged into darkness as systems went down everywhere, but Jack wasn't aware of any of this. He was trapped in another kind of darkness, one filled with memories and emotions, and not all them his own.

When the gun rang out, Jack instinctually ducked, but when he looked back up, to his horror he could see that the shot had hit it's mark. "John," he breathed out in shock, his blood running cold. Taking the chance that the sniper would wait for a better shot, Jack dashed out into the open and grabbed John's vest, pulling him back behind the meager cover of the short stone wall.

Jack searched for the hole, feeling the blood on his hands before finding it with his eyes, but the moment he located the wound, he knew it was already too late.

Face pasty and white, John, his commander by several years of experience, cockily grinned up at him, murmuring with a slurred tongue, "So much for Satellite Recon. Jack, take care of Barbara for me, man?"

Jack wanted to tell him to hang on, to not die, but his throat seized up even as John choked out his last breath of air. Jack hadn't been on the team long, but he and Sara had quickly become close friends with John and Barbara. It was as if he'd known John for years. Tears stung his eyes and he raised his head to call the retreat when the memory flickered, changing to something very different, and yet very much the same.

Blood spurted up between his fingers as he tried vainly to cover the wound in Jesse's chest. How could this have happened? What was he thinking! The echo of the shot still rang hollowly in his ears, burning into his mind an abhorrence for guns he knew he'd never fully eradicate. As the tears blurred his vision, the memory changed once again, to the sound of another echoing gunshot, one Jack had heard while sitting with Sarah on his front porch. It was the single most terrifying event in this life.

And as if his mind couldn't handle the emotional terror of reliving that moment, it swept back in time, to the single most _incredible_ moment in his life. It was the moment when Jack had held his son, Charlie, for the very first time. Joy filled him to the point of making him weak in the knees, but the precious bit of life _he'd_ help create was crying, twitching his little arms blindly in all directions and Jack held the baby boy closer. Silently promising to always protect the child, no matter what.

"So I guess Sam is short for Samuel?"

"Actually it's Sean. Sean A, Malloy. S, A, M. Sam."

"What's the A stand for?"

Sam hedged. "I don't like to tell people."

He smiled, and then guessed, "Angus?"

The look on Sam's face was priceless. "How did you know?"

But all he could manage was a feint smile as he murmured, "She always did like that name." He'd realized it only moments before, and it was all he could do to try and deal with the conflicting emotion warring inside him. Grief at finding out Kate was dead, mixed with anger to find that she had kept the secret of her pregnancy from him, and joy at the discovery that his very own flesh and blood, his son, was standing right before him, as if fait rather than chance has brought them together, or perhaps both. In the end, the emotions were put on the backburner to be dealt with later, and instead, he resolved to let himself live in shock for a time.

Then the moment was passing, and a variety of other memories surged forward to take its place. Jack's first time to the academy, getting bored with the physics and chemistry classes that seemed to take up too much time with the homework, and hold too few challenges to keep him there, that stupid instructor who didn't know one cent about proper aerodynamics, taking off to explore the world, learning that life existed on other planets…

The pain that suddenly engulfed his mind was enough to snap Jack back to awareness. He opened his eyes to be confronted only by blackness, and for a moment he thought he was still submerged in Sedet's Shadows, but the frantic sounds that assaulted his ears were real, and the groan to his right was _felt_ as strongly as it was _heard_.

Kicking up blindly, Jack's foot smacked something hard. If he actually hit a Sedetian or just a piece of machinery, he didn't know, but as he rolled over, his hands quickly found Mac. "Come on!" He hissed, hoping the man was at least somewhat awake.

Mac elicited another groan, but Jack felt he heard more awareness in that small noise, and then slurred words reached out to him, "Wass'going on?"

"We're getting outta here," Jack grunted, grabbing Mac's arm and tugging it around his shoulder as he heaved the man up to his feet.

A sharp cry from behind was their only warning, and both Jack and Mac instinctually separated, dodging to the side as something large and ominous came crashing down between them.

_If only they could see!_ Jack silently cried.

The emergency lights flickered on, revealing the massive form of Sedet standing in front of them, his five glowing eyes ablaze with fury. Momentarily blinded by the sudden light, Jack was able to dash away from the angry alien, but the light worked both in their favor as well as against them. With the path clear, and the room in a panic, Jack and Mac were able to run directly to the door, but there wasn't enough time to pass through it before several recovering Sedetians opened fire, their targets now plainly in sight.

It was as if he'd known exactly what would happen, and if his brain had had time to think things over, it'd confirm this fact, but right then, Jack was just moving. The shots of energy sizzled around them, pocketing scorch marks in the walls and door, one such bolt hit the door switch, causing it to open and short out. But another struck MacGyver in the shoulder, and the man cried out sharply in pain before falling unconscious.

Jack was already there, catching his twin even as MacGyver fell. Jack adjusted for the sudden weight, grimacing heavily as his own injured shoulder protested to the sudden strain. He dragged them the last couple feet out of the room and kicked at the side of the doorframe in the hopes that the door would close again.

His hopes were well rewarded, and the Sedetians were trapped inside, but it wouldn't last long, he knew. Clenching his teeth to keep from passing out himself, Jack pulled Mac's unconscious form down the hall and into the first room he found. They needed a bit of time. How long did Mac say he'd been out? He wasn't sure. A _while_. How long was a while?

First making sure his semi-brother was breathing fine and would actually be okay, Jack went back to the door to see if he could jam it shut somehow. He needn't have worried, the systems were still down, and while a small light was glowing softly purple in the corner, the door was completely unresponsive. Luck alone had given them entrance, and that was more than enough to make Jack suspicious.

Turning around, he began a careful examination of the room they'd landed in. It was oddly shaped, along with everything in it. Including one long object with a flat polished surface that could have been a table, and several smaller objects that looked suspiciously like they might have been stools before being bent and deformed out of proportion. Then, suddenly, he realized just what it was that was giving off the purple light.

"You have got to be kidding me!"

Slowly walking over to the small machine, Jack ran a hand through the light. Little floating symbols immediately appeared. Running fingers around the edges of the machine, Jack found a latch and popped the top off the device.

There it was, the third key sitting perfectly at peace on the alien made black light, projecting the symbols as if it had nothing better to do. For a minute, his fingers randomly played with the images, moving them from place to place. Squeezing a couple together he watched as they blended, becoming a completely new and different symbol. Then he flicked at another, and the symbol burst apart, turning into two completely separate entities.

It was mesmerizing, and for a while he was lost in the patterns that were suddenly making perfect sense to him. He might have stood there forever if the loud bang on the door hadn't knocked him back to reality.

Sedet must have discovered where they were, which meant that was no longer a way out for them. "Aww man," Jack grumbled.

"Isn't that my line?" a soft voice groggily questioned.

Looking down, Jack found Mac awake, but with his face scrunched up in pain. Walking over, Jack simply asked, "Think you can stand?"

"Maybe." In the end Mac had to use both the wall and Jack for support to get up. Mac really shouldn't have woken up so soon, Jack realized, but Sedet wasn't giving them a choice. "What now?" Mac asked with a pant.

He seemed steady enough with just the wall, so Jack left him there, walking back to the alien device and fishing out the Key. "Look what I found?" He waved the small disk in the air with a grin, but all he got was a feint smile in return. A barrage of shots rammed into the door, and the controls sparked with life, but thankfully the door remained stubbornly shut. Needlessly, Jack stated for lack of anything better to say, "We need to find a way out of here."

"Ya think?" Mac caustically remarked, bringing both of them up short. Exchanging nervous looks, Mac hesitantly questioned, "When Sedet had us trapped in my mind, did you…"

"See a bunch of your memories? Ya, and I bet you saw a bunch of mine," Jack finished for him.

Mac's faced paled even more, if that were possible. "Jack. We might actually be becoming the _same_ person."

The thought terrified Jack as much as it did his twin, but he couldn't worry about that right now. "How do we get out of here, Mac? You're good at these types of riddles."

It took MacGyver a moment to actually focus his thoughts on their _present_ predicament, but as the man looked up, a cunning smile suddenly creased his face. Jack followed Mac's gaze to see what he realized must be a vent. He grabbed the edge of the table-like object and pulled, intending to move it over to the vent so he could get up there.

It didn't so much as budge.

Grumbling, Jack took a couple of the precarious looking 'stools' instead, and working hard to keep his balance, climbed up to examine the opening. No matter how advanced a race got, alien or otherwise, air had to have room to travel.

Experimentally, he grabbed the grating and pulled. It came loose in a shower of rust, and Jack could see were the siding that was holding the panel in place, had long ago withered away. A spot of luck on their side. _Score one for the good guys!_ Jack thought humorously. "Looks like we can get out through here," Jack remarked, jumping back down to help Mac over, but MacGyver seemed reluctant. "Come on Mac, this is the last stretch."

"Are you so sure?" Mac asked, sounding wearier than Jack had ever heard him.

Frowning with worry, Jack shrugged. "Of course. All we gotta do is get off this tub, activate the keys so Daniel and Carter can figure out the doohicky, and…" He trailed off uncertain.

With a wry grin, Mac supplemented, "Save the world?"

"Exactly! Now come on!" After another balancing act on the stools, and some frantic wiggling and pulling, they both managed to squirm their way into the air duct. It was a little tight, but there was just enough room to maneuver their way along. What they didn't have was any light to see by.

Jack took the lead, carefully reaching out with searching hands for sharp edges that could slice him up, or anything else that might prove harmful. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before he found exactly that. "Ow!"

"What?" Mac called up to him.

Sucking at his injured hand, Jack mumbled, "Nothing. I think something bit me."

"Bit you! As in the alien version of a rat?"

Jack wasn't sure what had bit him, but when he swept his hand around in the dark, whatever it had been was gone. "Never mind, Mac, it's nothing." _Ya, right_, Jack thought sarcastically to himself.

"Ya, right," Mac grumbled, echoing Jack's thoughts.

Jack pushed on, suddenly very eager to be out of the cramped air ducts. Ahead of him a point of light appeared, and Jack moved towards it with great vigilance. The light soon grew, casting an errie green glow into the air duct through another vent. Unless they wanted to backtrack, this was their only exit.

Not much could be seen through the thin grating, but Jack didn't think he could hear any movement in the room below, so he pushed on the grill. It came loose as easily as the other one had, confirming that this _was_ where chance wanted them to be. Either that, or the Sedations kept some seriously poor maintenance on this ship. Jack highly doubted that.

The room _was_ empty, and the green glow was coming from a tower of computer screens at its center. "Sweet!" Jack slid out, dropping awkwardly to the floor. Quickly getting back up, he went to the nearest screen. It was currently spitting out writing that looked like some variation of goa'uld. A few random keystrokes later brought up a floor plan of the ship. Jack didn't have a clue what any of the flashing side notes were indicating, but basic engineering made the map easy to read. What they needed was some way _off_ the ship, like a hanger bay or some other such place. His eyes drew immediately to one location on the map in particular.

A crash behind him quickly reminded Jack of MacGyver, and he turned to find his twin slowly extracting himself from more of the peculiar stools. "Tell me we don't need to crawl through any more air ducts?"

Jack grinned. "I don't think so. How's the shoulder feel?"

"It hurts," Mac stated, a little more surely than usual, but Jack felt much the same. Then suddenly Mac sat down heavily on the one of the stools, surprisingly with perfect balance, and glumly stated, "Jack, we can't keep doing this."

Annoyed, Jack sat down across from his twin. "I thought we already covered this?" But the look Mac gave him was one Jack had seen too many times in the mirror, on _himself_. It was the look of pain, of dead hope, of the desire to just let things end.

And just when had Jack truly lost that look? And when had Mac picked it up? Looking up at him, Mac quietly asked, "How have you lived with the pain?"

"The same way you have, by surrounding yourself with the things you care about," Jack told him with pure honesty.

But Mac shook his head, looking away. "This is different. Your son…" His voice trailed off, and Jack found his throat too constricted to answer. In his mind the memories surfaced, his memories, and Mac's. For a few moments it was too much to deal with, and that, Jack realized, was the problem.

"We have to focus, Mac. Focus on what we want to save."

"But what _are_ we saving? And how?" MacGyver argued, the frustration clearly evident in his voice. A frustration Jack completely agreed with.

Identically, they each ran a hand through their hair and sighed. But the action froze their minds with the chill of fear.

Forcing a grin, Jack hesitantly replied, "It's like you said before. We're saving the world."

"Or destroying it."

Again, silence reigned between them. Jack wanted to make a quip, some sort of sarcastic remark to lighten the mood, but nothing would come to mind. At this point, _anything_ could happen. The only thing he was certain off, was that he didn't want to give up, and he was fairly certain Mac didn't either. "Let's get to a hanger bay."

Mac didn't say anything, but he stood up, and before heading for the door, turned around to fiddle with the control panel. An eyebrow rising, Jack questioned, "What did you do?"

"I have absolutely no idea," Mac replied, but there was the faintest hint of a smile at the corners of his lips before the subdued expression took up residence again.

Checking the hall, Jack and Mac slipped out of the room, making a mad dash for the hanger bay. Or what Jack was pretty _sure_ was a hanger bay. With a few quick turns, they had managed to just miss several passing aliens, but just at the last turn, they ran right into Sedet himself.

The goa'uld's eyes glowed with rage, and as the alien raised one of his multiple arms, a pulse of energy picked the brothers up, slamming them into the opposite wall. His body screamed in pain, but Jack had no voice to actually vocalize the agony. For a brief moment, he actually felt filleted, the energy searing his body with an unseen flame. Collapsing to the ground, Jack curled into himself, his skin alive with pins and needles.

The goa'uld was yelling at them, or yelling at his minions, Jack wasn't sure. Any sound at all was like a thousand bells in his head. Eyes tearing, he forced himself to sit up, trying to get control over the shaking that had taken over. But a few moments later, he realized he wasn't what was shaking. It was the ship.

Then there was even more yelling, more bells, and a heat that began to consume his body. He reached out blindly until he found Mac. MacGyver had been reaching for him, too, and they clasped hands tightly. All at once the noise and pain died down to something manageable.

_You okay? _

The thought was and wasn't his own, and so Jack replied, _Ya, you?_

_Ya._

Blinking back the tears, Jack could see where small explosions were ripping up the sides of the hallways. Sedet was yelling and hitting his minions for their inadequacies with typical goa'uld fury. As if things were _really_ in their control!

Jack turned to meet Mac's gaze, and with mutual consent, they used the diversion to crawl the rest of the way to the hanger bay doors. Sedet noticed them just as the doors opened, and chasing after, sent a volley of shots that sliced above their heads. The energy passed so close Jack felt like it set his hair on fire, but took the chance that it hadn't, seeing as how Mac's wasn't, and kept going. They'd been lucky to survive the first attack, another would surely kill them, but as luck would have it, one of the energy bolts had struck the lock for the doors. Jack and MacGyver jumped through the closing doors, making it just in time. Jack didn't even wonder if the doors had locked behind them, he just knew they had. Loud bangs reverberated against the doors, but it was hard to distinguish them from the rippling explosions within the ship.

"That was close," Mac breathed out.

"You can say that again," Jack returned, and ran a hand through his hair, just to be sure it was still all there. Then shaking their heads, Mac and Jack tried to dispel the foggy tingling that still consumed their bodies, before they got up to take a look around. The hanger wasn't big, holding only about ten of the strangely shaped death gliders. At least, Jack _hoped_ they were like the death gliders, _those_ he already knew how to operate.

Wasting no time, they climbed into the nearest one. "Aww man!" Jack complained once he got a look at the controls.

"What?"

Jack hesitated, but another explosion rocked the ship with such violent force it almost knocked the black glider from its docking clamp. They were out of time. "There hasn't been a vehicle made yet, that I couldn't fly!" He stated, more to himself, than Mac.

Even so, Mac groaned, "Awww man!"

Jack hit a button, and the vehicle suddenly dropped, falling like a rock. "Crap!" He hit a bunch more buttons, sending off two shots of energy. One that conveniently took out the other vehicles in a chain reaction, and another, that at last opened up the doors leading outside.

Out the side window, Jack could see the inside doors blow inward as Sedet made another appearance. With a grin, the Colonel pressed another button at random, and quite suddenly, the force field on the outside bay doors completely disappeared. Thus removing any way of keeping the ship pressurized. In response, emergency doors slammed down inside the hanger, preventing more sedatians from following Sedet into the hanger, and likewise, trapping the goa'uld inside.

For all his multiple limbs, the goa'uld, like any other mortal being, was yanked towards the vacuum of space, helpless to prevent it. So was their little ship, but the life controls had come on automatically, keeping them safe from the threat of open space. The suction caused by the depressurization of the hanger projected them out and away from the gigantic black ha'tac. Just in time to watch it completely combust.

The gigantic ship glowed a bright red a moment before it happened, and for that one moment time stood still. And then, suddenly, it came apart in one final explosion that ripped the crippled ship apart from its center. Large chunks of metal exploded in all directions, including directly at them.

Several projectiles sliced at their little hull, and learning the controls the hard way, Jack quickly maneuvered them around the majority of the deadly debris. Lights and sensors were going off everywhere, and a voice emulating the bug-like aliens was repeating something in the same infuriatingly calm monotone their own government created AI's used to report dangers.

They got through the worst of it, but not all of it. One large piece hit them so hard it jarred their systems and sent them careening towards Earth. Jack fought with the controls, but too late, they became caught in Earth's gravity. This wasn't exactly the way he'd planned on getting back.

"Jack?" Mac nervously inquired from the back seat.

"Just hold on," Jack told him through gritted teeth. The force of their plunge was pulling hard against him. He couldn't even guess how many g's they were pulling right now, but they needed to slow down. He got the vehicle out of its spin, and forced the nose up right as red spots began to cloud his vision. Fighting to stay conscious, he finally found the inertia dampeners, just in time, too, as the hull began to heat up and glow bright red.

Now came the fun part, seeing if the ship was built for space to atmosphere combat, or if it'd completely burn up on decent. Considering it didn't go up by more than a few degree inside the ship, he figured it was the prior, and with a grin, he allowed himself a moment of enjoyment as he watched the ground quickly approach. His stomach squirmed, like it always did, but while Jack usually found excitement in the sensation, for once, he had to fight down the nerves instead.

"Wow," Mac breathed out behind him, also staring out the window. "Do you think we're going to crash?" He asked, sounding far calmer than Jack would have expected him to. But then…

"Probably."

"Okay."

Their prediction came true, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. As they entered the atmosphere, Jack gained back a bit more control over the ship and was able to bring it down while keeping them intact. Amazingly so, considering they landed the way a meteor generally did. Hard, hot, and fast. Luckily, they had landed over land, not water. If Jack had to hazard a guess, they were even in the United States somewhere.

Steam clouded their view, but as they pushed up the top hatch and stood up, wind cleared the air and brought with it a clean gust of fresh air. The ship had scathed a deep line into some rather dry wilderness, parking them right next to an interstate freeway. A lone car on the road had seen their crash, and its occupant was quickly exiting the vehicle, an expression of shock covering the young man's face. "Dad!"

"Sam?" Both Jack and Mac exclaimed, equally surprised.

"I thought you were in London?" Jack demanded, but then Mac thwapted him from behind.

"He's my son, not yours," Mac remarked, but then demanded of the young sandy brown haired man, "What are you doing here!"

At first the young man, Sam Malloy, as Jack had recognized him from Mac's memories, was too stunned to answer, his eyes glancing back and forth nervously between the two twins. "What's…what's going on?" He finally asked.

"Sam, this is Jack," Mac replied, motioning to Jack, but then, suddenly, Mac jerked, almost loosing his balance as he flung _something_ violently away from him. "Ow! Crap!"

"What?" Jack demanded, but considering his hand had started throbbing again, he felt he could hazard a guess.

"Something bit me!" Mac sullenly replied, but then exchanged worried looks with Jack. They compared hands to find they had the exact same injury in the exact same place. Jack's had even started to bleed again, the small drop of blood forming anew.

When their alien stowaway had bit Mac, his son, Sam, had hurried across the road, skid down into their still steaming ditch, and was gingerly climbing over singed rock and dirt towards them. "Dad!"

"He's fine." "I'm fine." The twins replied.

Their response halted the young man and once again he was looking between the two of them, confused. "What's going on?"

"We really don't have time to explain, Sam," Jack replied, finding it hard not to think of this brown haired man as his own. Memories flooded his mind, none of them his own. Only thoughts of Charlie kept him grounded in reality.

"We don't have long," Mac continued, "We have to get to Colorado as fast as we can."

"But…we're _in_ Colorado," Sam stated, shaking his head as if he could dispel his own confusion.

"Sweet, I'll drive," Jack immediately stated, gingerly climbing out of the still hot ship. Mac did likewise, and Sam looked like he wasn't sure whom to help.

"Wait. What's going on?" Sam demanded.

"It's a long story," the twins replied, and then Mac added, "One I promise I'll tell you about on the way, but we _have_ to get going."

Sam looked like he wasn't going to budge, but with worried looks at them both, Jack didn't surmise they looked all that pleasant, he stated. "Fine, but _I'm_ driving!"

Jack grinned. The boy's stubbornness had to be a family trait. It was just as well, Jack was ready to collapse, and he was sure Mac was, too.

"Sam," Mac said as they reached the car, looking at the Volvo with a raised eyebrow. "How _did_ you get here?"

"Well, I had planned on a surprise visit, but my plane had to make an emergency landing in Florida and the next available flight wasn't for a couple days. Since I wasn't in a hurry," at that, Sam made a wry expression, "I decided to rent a car and drive across the states, instead." Sam looked at them with a expression Jack knew very well. It meant the kid was thinking, and likely guessing correctly, too. "That's when things started to get crazy. The news has been talking about Armageddon. Is it?"

Neither twin knew how to answer that, but they grimly replied, "Not if we can help it." Then Jack did a few calculations in his head. "Sam, when exactly did you leave London?"

"It was the nine am flight, four days ago."

"Same time you first got picked up by florists?"

"Yes." Mac had the thinking look on his face, too. "To think, things have been in motion since then, or earlier. We are cursed."

"Haven't I been saying that this whole time?" Jack retorted.

Sam was confused again, and exclaimed, "What are you guys talking about? You're lucky I passed by when I did, the roads have been empty for hours.

"You don't know the half of it," Jack remarked, and then settled into the back seat. Maybe this time he could catch more than a minute of sleep.

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Sam let out a long tired sigh. She'd been given one of the few available gurneys to 'rest' on, but no matter how exhausted she felt, or how much pain medication she was given, because Janet had insisted on giving her _something_, Sam just could not sleep.

Daniel was in the gurney next to her, and in similar condition. They were a mess, each with fresh casts, Daniel's leg, and her arm, and each was half mummified with every available bandage Janet could find. If this ended well, Sam was _definitely_ taking a week off. _After_ the medical leave. But right then, the only thing that really stuck in her head was the word _if_.

"How do you think they're doing?" Sam asked.

The group of them, herself and Daniel on the beds, Teal'c watching over them, and even the strange pilot Dalton, who'd decided to stick to them like glue, were all waiting in a corner of the overcrowded medical pavilion.

There hadn't been much Sam could offer the General in the line of information, and none of them were in any condition to be of much more help, but she hated feeling useless.

"If I know Mac, he'll be blowing the place up right about now," Dalton offered with a cheery smile.

Sam wasn't sure if that made her feel better or not.

Then Sergeant Siler was weaving his way through the crowd towards them. "Major Carter." His face stayed calm as usual, but there was a slight excitement to the tone of his voice. "I thought you'd want to know that NORAD has reported a large explosion in the sky. They believe it was Sedet's ship."

"See? What'd I'd tell ya?" Dalton exclaimed, full out grinning.

"Did any escape pods make it out?" Sam quickly asked Siler.

He shook his head. "They said there was too much debris to tell. Most of it burned up in the atmosphere."

For a long moment the group was subdued by that news, but then Daniel stated, "I'm sure they got out. They've got luck on their side, remember?"

Sam didn't think it wise to mention that that same luck was as much _for_ them as it was _against_ them. But then something strange happened. The pavilion tent collapsed. And as surprised as she was, it was the best reassurance she could be given. With a wide grin, made a little wider by the influence of the drugs in her system, she remarked, "They're back!"

Teal'c's voice responded somewhere to her left. "Indeed."

It took them a lot of effort and teamwork just to even find the edge of the heavy tent, and when they entered the open air again, they could see that all the tents had collapsed, probably at the same time. The sky had also gotten darker.

Frowning, Sam looked up at the dusty looking clouds above. They seemed grayer than they should, and the surrounding land had lost most of its color, the hues turning as gray and dull at the clouds. It began to rain, only, it wasn't rain that came down but a dry white fluff. Sam held her good hand out to catch a piece.

Dalton had done the same, and examining the little flake closely, he suddenly exclaimed, "Is this ash!"

They all look up and around for signs of smoke, but other than the darkening sky, there was no readily visible sign of fire. Then more began to fall, and in bigger pieces. Sam took a whiff of a small clump of ash, instantly recognizing the smell of sulfer. "It's volcanic!"

"There's a new volcano in Kansas," Daniel offered. Teal'c had him around the waist, the jaffa practically carrying the anthropologist. More people were trying to get out from under the tent and the little group shuffled out of the way.

Sam was having a hard time thinking and moving at the same time, but once they stopped, she shook her head. "This is too thick, there must be another volcano closer."

"Then how'about we get this show going?" A new voice interjected.

"Jack!" Daniel exclaimed, seeing the Colonel and his twin approaching with a few others in tow, including a young brown haired man dressed in civies.

"Hey Daniel," Both men answered.

Sam sucked air in through her teeth in alarm. Where they both the same now? In fact, she wasn't sure who was who anymore. As if to confirm her fears, one of them grimly stated, "We don't have much time."

"Do you have the black light board?" The other quickly asked.

Thankfully, they did. The General had been kind enough to send men to pick it up from the Colonel's house, but before Sam had a chance to say so, Dalton suddenly exclaimed, "Sam! What are you doing here? I thought you were in London?" He and the young man shook hands and grasped each other in a hug.

"Oh, you know," the man answered with a shrug and a grin, "the usual. Not to mention, picking up a couple hitchhikers."

"Everyone," the one who Sam figured had to have been MacGyver, introduced to the group, "this is my son, Sean Malloy."

"Call me Sam," Malloy interjected.

But the pleasantries ended quickly. One of the escorting airmen had gone to fetch the General. "Colonel!" General Hammond called out as soon as he was near enough, but stopped short when he spotted MacGyver.

Sam could see the confusion wash over the General's face, mixed with anxiety and concern, probably at the twin's appearance. The trip into space hadn't improved things for them. And while they seemed to be moving around better than her or Daniel, they looked far worse. At last, only one question came out of the General's mouth. "Colonel. Is the threat over?"

"No, sir," They both answered at once, and then the Colonel extrapolated, "Sedet is gone, sir, but unless we figure out how to work Gent's device, the Earth is in _real_ trouble."

Again confusion stirred across the General's face, and he slowly questioned, "Is this device the reason for all the strange disturbances that have been going on?"

"Not exactly, sir. But there's no time to explain now, I'll have to later. Or Carter will."

Sam's blood ran cold with those words. She no longer doubted in her CO's ability to explain science, but the way he'd said, 'or Carter will' made it sound like he might not be around _to_ explain things to the General.

But the Colonel was right, they didn't have time, as was evident by the thick ash falling in the sky, and to make it worse, it was getting colder by the second. As soon as Sam told them where the makeshift reader was, the General had two men off to fetch it, and when they brought it back, everyone watched with interest as the Colonel pulled out the final key. Teal'c handed over the two he'd been carrying, and the three were placed on the reader with each key touching each other.

A flick of a switch, and four extra long extension cords to a new power source, later, the little symbols appeared in the air. With the sky as dark as it was, it wasn't a problem seeing them.

"Ready?" The twins simultaneously asked each other, and then nodding, they began moving the symbols around. Sam could only stare in fascination. Their fingers moved swiftly and confidently. Moving symbols from one key to the next, flicking several apart, and joining others till all of a sudden the impossible puzzle was solved and information burst forth into the air.

Daniel quickly hobbled forward to examine the writings. He raised his hand, and like with the symbols, the projected information acted much like a touch screen computer. The information changed, and scrolled, and changed again.

"Well?" The Colonel asked a little impatiently.

"This is amazing!" Daniel exclaimed, but in the next second his face fell. "But…"

Both twins groaned, and MacGyver remarked, "Now how did we know there was a _but_ coming?"

Daniel suddenly looked anguished, telling them, "The dialect isn't the same as what we've previously found. They must have used a completely different language for this. It'll take me at least a week just to begin to understand what any of this says."

"It's okay Danny, it was a long shot anyway," the Colonel replied with a grim smile.

"But it could still work," Sam immediately protested, not willing to give up. "We just have to figure out the device."

"Teal'c?" The Colonel asked, holding his hand out. The jaffa obligingly deposited Gent's device in his hand and O'Neill silently examined it. But his expression was grim when he tossed it to MacGyver for him to look at as well.

The genius shook his head, and looking up, he and the Colonel seemed to have come to a decision. Sam swallowed hard, fearing what that decision would be.

Turning to General Hammond, the Colonel solemnly requested, "Sir, we need to get to the stargate."

Hammond shook his head. "The mountain isn't safe right now. I can't allow it."

But MacGyver stepped forward, insisting, "If Jack and I don't get off Earth, than _no one_ is safe."

Hammond frowned, but before he could say anything, MacGyver's son had gripped Mac's hand and questioned, his voice filled to the brim with worry. "Dad?"

MacGyver turned to the young man and giving him a tight hug stated adamantly. "I'm so sorry, Sam, but it's the only way. I love you so very much, just remember that, okay?"

Malloy nodded, but reluctantly let go of his father. Sam felt tears glisten in her eyes, and wanted to say something, but even knowing all of what was happening, she couldn't bare the thought of them leaving, either.

"Sir," Colonel O'Neill quietly asked, his eyes saying far more than his voice ever could. "Please. We have to go."

"And where will you go?" Hammond, just as quietly, questioned.

"To as remote a planet as possible."

The General didn't reply, but turned and headed for the complex entrance.

It was deathly quiet inside the mountain. Thankfully the ground remained as still as it was meant to, as if the Earth itself was holding it's breath. In fact, every door Mac and Jack approached opened without them having to even touch it.

"Sir, it might still work," Sam stated at the bottom of the ramp to the gate. More than just their little group had come with them back into the SGC, some by General Hammond's orders, and some on their own accord.

"Sam," Colonel O'Neill said softly, a faint smile touching his lips. "We'll give it a shot, but we can't chance that it won't, either." Sam bit her lip, but then he whispered, "It was an honor to serve with you, Major."

"Jack," Daniel said, once again clinging to Teal'c. "There _has_ to be another way."

"O'Neill," Teal'c added, "There might still be time."

But the Colonel shook his head. "We all know that isn't true." As if to emphasis the point the ground began to shake. Slowly at first, but with increasing crescendo. "General!" O'Neill and MacGyver yelled up to the overlooking room where the General and others were trying to get the gate operating again.

"Something has short-circuited the dialing system," General Hammond told them through the speaker. But as they struggled to keep their feet the lights flickered with a power surge and the gate began dialing. Sam glanced up into the room, and guessed from the look on the General's face, that they hadn't set the gate to dial.

The Colonel and his brother must have had the same thought, because they simultaneously yelled up, "Outgoing, or incoming?"

"Outgoing, but we don't know to where," the General once again replied through the speaker.

The twins just exchanged looks, and MacGyver stated, "I guess this is it." As if in response to his statement, the ground stilled, leaving the shaken group alone with only the sound of the dialing gate. The seventh chevron locked, and the gate opened, the glistening blue pool looking more ominous than it ever had before.

"Wait, Dad!" his son cried out, his eyes looking frantically at the gate. "Where are you going? Through _that_?"

Again MacGyver hugged his son. "Make sure you finish your masters. And never give up following your heart." When they parted, Malloy had tears in his eyes. Then MacGyver shook Dalton's hand, saying with a grin, "All the trouble aside, I could never have had a better friend!"

"Likewise, Mac. Likewise."

The Colonel was also giving his team hugs, saying his goodbyes, Sam realized. Even knowing they planned to leave, even standing here before the open gate, Sam hadn't been willing to accept that this was it. All of a sudden her mind had gone completely numb. She only barely registered the Colonel exchanging words with Daniel and Teal'c, and then he was there, standing in front of her.

His face was smeared with ash, blood, dirt, and even a bit of the orange fire retard. He looked tired. More tired than she had ever seen him look before. She opened her mouth to try and talk him out of going, of trying the device here, instead, but his eyes were pleading with her and her voice caught in her throat. At last, she managed a barely whispered, "It's been a honor, sir," imitating his words from before. It was the standard military farewell and good luck, spoken when they didn't expect to see each other again.

He didn't say anything, but he pulled her into a hug, and Sam clung to him tightly for several seconds before forcing herself to step back. Then, suddenly, everything was in motion, and she was helpless to stop it. The Earthquake resumed with a vengeance, and the twins dashed up the ramp. MacGyver's son tried to follow, but Dalton caught the young man's arm, stopping him.

Right before they reached the event horizon they stopped, and turning, the Colonel gave one last order, "Whatever you do, do not try reaching us for at least a week!"

"God speed, son," General Hammond solemnly intoned over the mic.

And then, just like that, they were gone. The earthquake stopped the second the gate shut down. At the same time the power went out, and for several long minutes before the backup generators kicked in, they'd been plunged into complete blackness. And, as they'd find out later, so had the entire Earth.

-+-+-+-+-

_Post Author's Note:_

CairisRin: Well there are no jaffa in this-  
_Teal'c clears his throat._  
CairisRin: Except for Teal'c. I just loved the whole thought of calling this chapter The Jaffa Tango too much, to not do it. :D  
Teal'c (a little miffed): A jaffa _does_ learn how to dance as part of his training.  
CairisRin: Er...really?  
Katchi: Cool! Let's see!  
_Teal'c does the Jaffa Tango._  
CairisRin: . o.o Um...that's um...very nice, Teal'c.  
Katchi (whispering to CairisRin): Doesn't the tango involve two people?  
CairisRin (whispering back): I'm not even sure I'd call that dancing, let alone the tango.  
_Teal'c begins to hum his own music as he does the Jaffa Tango._  
O.O

Happy New Year Folks :D


	27. Epilogue

"I'm sure you have many questions right now.

"I'm afraid I can only answer a few of them. It's only because of these extenuating circumstances that the President has made an exception to allow you here at all, especially at this time as our country recovers from the multiple disasters that have hit it. It's a miracle in itself that the loss of life is so low." So low, that no death was a direct result of any of the disasters. Except for perhaps two.

General Hammond sighed, and turned to face the occupants within the briefing room. Pete Thornton, still an integral part of the Phoenix Foundation, even blind, sat in the first chair. General Hammond had had the pleasure of meeting the man a very long time ago, and had been pleased to find that Thornton had also remembered him. The two next to him, Captain Kate Murphy, and Detective Tim Riley, were people the General had only just met, but Major Carter's recommendation had gone very high, especially in regards to the events now one month prior.

The trio had just discovered the truth about aliens, and the potential threat they posed to Earth. After which had followed a brief recount of the events surrounding Akh, along with Colonel O'Neill and MacGyver's involvement. By mutual recommendation by those who knew the full extent of the Colonel's and MacGyver's true relationship, the President had decided to have that information sealed, and in turn blamed the peculiar events on Akh, and Gent's alien device. As far as the public was concerned, the reason for the near apocalypse would always be a mystery, and as far as any bureaucrat knew, MacGyver and O'Neill had saved the Earth by taking the device with them through the stargate. Few would ever know the full truth.

"Where is Mac and Colonel O'Neill, now?" Captain Murphy dared to ask after a few minutes of silence had gone by.

Hammond sighed. "We uncovered the gate address of the planet they went to, but the gate can no longer establish contact. Some…friends…we have, reported signs of a nova in that area. I'm afraid they are presumed dead."

Again silence dominated the room. Pete Thornton softly repeating with disbelief, "Dead? Mac?"

Yet before Hammond could say anything, the door opened and MacGyver's son, Sean Malloy had come in, followed closely by Jack Dalton. The two had refused to leave all month, helping greatly in the efforts to stabilize and rebuild the mountain. And while protocol had bade Hammond to keep them out, heart said otherwise, and they had needed as much help as possible. The rest of SG1 had been just as adamant to keep the two there. But then, SG1 hadn't given up hope of Jack's return, even after the Tok'ra had informed them of the destruction of the solar system Jack and MacGyver had gated to.

"Pete!" Malloy cried out as soon as he saw the aging blind man. "Someone said you'd arrived."

Thornton jerked around in his chair towards the man's voice. "Sam?" In the next instant they were embracing each other in a tight hug. "Is it true? About Mac? Is he really gone?" Thornton asked the brown haired man.

"It looks that way," Malloy replied, his voice suddenly thick with emotion. Diverting his eyes, he smiled at Murphy. "Captain Murphy, it's good to see you again."

"You, too, Sam. You've grown," Murphy replied with a smile, but it was obvious she was still in as much shock as Thornton over the news of the loss of their friend.

Hammond cleared his throat, telling them, "I'll give you a few minutes before we continue." With that he stepped outside, but to his surprise, Detective Riley followed him out. Hammond just raised his eyebrows in question.

"May I see Murray and Major Carter, sir?"

It seemed like an odd request to the General, but considering the 'unabridged' report SG1 had made, perhaps not. After a moment to decide, he nodded, replying, "Follow me," before heading for the Control Room. A place he hadn't planed to take the group till they were ready to see the gate itself, but that was where Major Carter would most likely be. While all of SG1 was still technically on medical leave, not one of them had left the mountain, nor had they stayed in the relocated infirmary longer than three days.

The mountain had needed _a lot_ of repairs. And outside help was sparse at best.

At the moment, the Control Room wasn't too crowded. Only Major Carter and two technicians were there, reworking half the systems for the gate. "I'm sure there's something we missed," Major Carter grumbled, looking like she hadn't slept for several days…_again_.

"Major," George called out, catching her attention.

She looked up, and then spotted Detective Riley. "Detective, when did you get here?"

"Just a little while ago," the man replied with a slight smile.

She returned it for a second, but then somberly asked, "Have you heard about MacGyver and Colonel O'Neill?"

He nodded, but pushing a smile back on his face, made a motion to Carter's arm, still in its cast. "Finally had your arm looked at, uh?"

"That, and a bunch of other things." She ruefully remarked, flinching as she got up off the floor. Seeing his questioning look, she quickly told him, "It's a long story, don't ask."

"A military thing, right?" He remarked with a grin. And then he nodded at the Gate Room below. "Is that it? The stargate?"

"It is," a new voice responded from the doorway.

They turned to find Teal'c standing there. "Murray!" Detective Riley exclaimed with a grin. "So you're an alien? Huh?"

Teal'c inclined his head in the affirmative, but a large smile spread across the jaffa's face. "It is good to see you are well."

"As well as to be expected."

And that was the truth of the matter, Hammond thought. The whole country, and in many respects, the entire world, was 'as well as to be expected.'

The General left the Detective in SG1's care, pleased at the influence the visiting Detective was having. It had been a long and stressful month, and tomorrow would likely top it all. The SGC was having their own ceremony for the two lost heroes that, in the General's opinion, had sacrificed everything to save Earth.

The rest of the day passed quickly and silently, and for the most part in peace as the visitors temporarily joined the staff of the SGC. Later in the day more visitors arrived, coming through the gate below rather than the one above, and all too quickly the day of the funeral was upon them.

It was a somber mood that day as the General walked behind the podium set on the stargate ramp as soon as the wormhole had been established.

Hammond took a deep breath and addressed the gathered group. Not everyone in the SGC could fit into the little room, but they had tried, filling the Gate Room, the overlooking Control Room, and any neighboring halls. Their visiting guests, from Earth, as well as off of Earth, had been given space to the side of the crowded room. Two more Tok'ra had joined Jacob, Skarra had come from Abydos, Thor himself had beamed in, and even the Nox woman, Lya, had come. How they had even known about the tragedy was beyond Hammond's understanding, but he greatly appreciated the Nox's appearance. MacGyver's friends had stood next to the aliens with mild curiosity, but as soon as the ceremony had started, all attention was on the General.

Again, Hammond took a large breath, and then motioned to the waiting SG1, who carried capsules, each containing items that would represent the lost twins. In Hammond's opinion, it wasn't enough, but it was all they could offer.

"We have come here today, to pay respects to two of the most honorable men we have all had the pleasure of knowing." He began as SG1 walked up to the event horizon to toss the canisters in. "Words can not do service for the many great and incredible-"

A flash of white light interrupted Hammond, and out of the light a voice tragically remarked, "_Tell_ me you're not about to throw away my favorite coffee mug!"

When the light faded, they found the twins standing in the middle of the room, looking perfectly fine, although dressed in some rather odd clothing, but much better than when the General had last seen them…and _alive!_

"You are never going to believe what happened!" One of them remarked. But like the rest of room, the General was still trying to believe they were even there!

"Dad!" Malloy shouted with joy, even while Dr. Jackson cried out, "Jack!" SG1 and MacGyver's close friends descended upon the two twins, only to stop short when they realized they didn't know who was who.

The twins grinned, and simultaneously responded, "I'm Jack, he's Mac" "I'm Mac, he's Jack."

Hearing them, the General was both relieved and worried. Motioning to the Control Room to shut the gate down, Hammond walked down the ramp to the two stray travelers. "Colonel."

The group at the bottom immediately parted for him, and the Colonel promptly replied. "Yes sir. Everything's fine now, sir."

Hammond had trusted those words from the first day he'd met Colonel O'Neill, and subsequently took a breath of relief, before asking, "What happened?"

"Gent's device _did_ work," MacGyver replied with a smile, his arm firmly around his son. "It was too late to stop the nova, and one last bit of luck that saved our lives, but it _did_ work."

He raised an eyebrow in question and the Colonel extrapolated. "A passing Altalerion ship picked us up just in time, but the nova knocked us way out into space when we tried an intro-space jump, a few galaxies out in fact. Took us this long just to get back, but on the plus side, we've made a new ally."

Hammond could see Carter's face light up with curiosity, but there was something _he_ had to know, first. "And your…_relationship_ to each other?"

"Is just like any other normal set of twins."

To reassure him, MacGyver added, "We tested it out the whole way here…_extensively_."

Now at last Hammond felt as if he could truly relax, but then the Colonel asked, "How have things been on Earth?"

"There's been some major changes, but the country's recovering well, sir," Major Carter replied, but the 'but' on her face would make anyone suspicious.

"What is it?" Jack growled out.

It was Dr. Jackson who finally had the courage to tell him, "In the chaos a month ago, several gas mains broke, including one at your place…sorry Jack, your house burnt down."

The Colonel instantly turned murderous eyes on his brother.

"How is this _my_ fault!" Mac instantly protested.

"It's _always_ your fault, _Angus!_ You burnt my house down the first time! I lost my prized hockey stick in that fire, signed by the coaches of NHL's Original Six!"

MacGyver cringed. "I could probably find them again, and get them to sign a new one for you?" He offered in supplication.

"It wouldn't be the same," Jack grumbled.

But those who knew the Colonel best knew he was placated. Then Major Carter looked curiously at MacGyver and questioned. "Your name is Angus?"

The man cringed, along with his son beside him. "Why do you think I go by Mac?"

Hammond grinned, saying simply, "It's good to have you both back."

"It's good to be back, sir," the Colonel replied, and then inquired looking around, "Did you happen to bring refreshments to this funeral? All the Altalerions eat are protein drinks."

"I thought they were pretty good," MacGyver remarked.

"You would!" Jack retorted.

Hammond grinned. "I'm sure we could find something."

Yes, things were back to normal. Or as normal as they could be, Hammond silently remarked, and then thought better of it. Things were _never_ normal with SG1 around, or, it would seem, with Jack's _brother_ around, either. Did the world ever have a chance?

The end.

_Author's Note_: People asked me several times about where I got the ideas for this fic. Well, most of it sprang from a quantum physics theory this one roommate I had had explained to me one day. For her, quantum physics was a _hobby_. She was a genius, I am not, so I had to do what every average non-genius _could_ do, I took what I _did_ understand, applied it to the things I knew, and hoped for the best. Overall, I don't think it turned out so bad.

A lot of my inspiration also came from my friends, jokes they'd make, comments they'd all so innocently given, and things I'd seen. For instance, Having Gents use unsuspecting parents-to-be for his experiments was something I'd picked up from The Pretender (and likely a few other shows or books, although the one in my mind at the time The Pretender), the use of 'luck' as something more than just coincidence, came from Escaflowne, Strange Luck, and Pure Luck. Figuring out how to apply it to the quantum physics theory was the hardest part, but well worth the challenge. Oh how I wish I was a Carter:D

Last, but definitely not least! If I didn't have such awesome Beta's, SealRescuer and Dimac, it wouldn't be _nearly_ as polished as it is. You can really tell how much my writing has grown over the last two years, thanks to them. :D


End file.
